Continued from page 1 - Poker Player Newspaper

Transcription

PAGE
Bonnie Damiano
invites you onboard
the Mardi Gras Queen
19
Hendon Mob PAGE
PLAYER PROFILE
by Phil Hevener
PAGE
Entertainment
Best Bets
37
38
POKER PLAYER
Vol. 8 Number 20 April 4, 2005 A Gambling Times Publication Copyright ©2005 Bi-Weekly $3.95 USA/$4.95 CANADA
ANNOUNCING:
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Several years in the making, poker journalism will
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First and foremost, www.
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Greenbacks
Won at the Bike
Some 15 of the 24 events at the
Winninʼ oʼ the Green tournament at the Bicycle Casino
in Bell Gardens, California
have concluded as we went
to press. Built around the
March St. Patrickʼs Day
theme, this series of events
again sports record crowds
looking for that
elusive pot oʼ
Ali Lari
gold.. This
wins $15,600 in
year the Bike
event 15
has added
$50,000 to the
and results are too large or
too late for this newspaper,
you will find the additional
timely details on the pages
of www.pokerplayernewspaper.com . The current
issue of Poker Player, ads
and all, will be found on
this site in the near future,
where you will be able to
read about the history of
poker from the very first
periodical published in this
field.
Total tournament results
(Continued on page 17)
Rio Holds Hold’Em
As we go to press five
events in the Harrahs
WSOP Circuit tour have
concluded at the Rio Hotel
and Casino in Las Vegas.
Part of some six events in
different parts of the country leading up to the World
Series of Poker, which,
except for the last 2 days
will beheld at the Rio this
year, all events have attracted good crowds. Below
you will find the results of
concluded events, thanks
to Nolan Dalla, Media
Director. Additional details
will be found on www.
pokerplayernewspaper.
com
The King of
Sacramento: JC
Tran Slam Dunks
Final Table at Rio’s
World Series of
Poker Circuit Event
JC Tran is proud of his
hometown – Sacramento.
It shows by what he says
and how he dresses. Tranʼs
image is closely connected
to the NBAʼs Sacramento
Kings. He often appears at
poker tournaments decked
out in full regalia
– including a
J C Tran walks
Kingsʼ hat and away from event 5
team jersey.
with $97,470
Like the
Sacramento Kings, Tran
has been a solid bet in
recent years. In fact, heʼs
A Word from the
“Mad Genius,”
Mike Caro
Today’s word is...
“EXPECT”
Turn to page 4 for more
0
74470 05299
9
1 4>
(Continued on
page 11)
this site about one week
after initial distribution. In
addition, every back issue
published can be found
there. Versions of the
original 6 years of Poker
Player, from 1982-1988
will begin to be put on
APRIL 4, 2005
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3
Caro’s Word: “EXPECT”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
S
ometimes poker players are unrealistic.
They donʼt realize
how long losing
streaks can last. When
theyʼre “on a roll,” they
canʼt imagine that it will
ever end. When they win,
they give themselves too
much credit for playing
well, and when they lose,
they blame it on bad luck.
Having a reasonable
grasp of what to expect at
poker makes a great deal
of difference in how youʼll
fare long term. Thatʼs why
Iʼve chosen the transcript of
one of my favorite lectures
for you to consider today.
Itʼs revised especially for
this column. The title is
“Correct Expectations about
Poker and Bankrolls.” Here
it is...
Bankrolls destroyed
I believe many bankrolls
have been destroyed and
many players have vanished from the poker scene,
simply because they didnʼt
know what to expect.
First of all, do you expect
poker to be a game of luck
or a game of skill? The
answer is that it is neither
and that it is both. In the
very short term, luck will
primarily decide your fate
at poker. But if you play
long enough, the influence
of luck becomes less and
less important in determin-
ing your fate, and your skill
predominates.
People destroy their
poker bankrolls by getting frustrated when they
donʼt win in the first 100
hours. Years ago, I remember reading a seemingly
rational poker book that
said that after 100 hours,
if youʼre not winning at
poker, youʼre not playing
good enough to win. That
100 hours was enough
of a test in this supposed
expertʼs mind. The first
thing youʼve got to get out
of your head is that 100
hours will tell you much at
all about whether you can
win.
The danger of
getting lucky
In fact, I believe a real danger is that youʼll get lucky
during the first 100 hours
you play. This can lead to
unrealistic expectations
at a time when you really
havenʼt honed your poker
skills. When things turn
bad, somewhat because
you werenʼt as good as you
estimated and somewhat
because your luck has mellowed, you may become
very frustrated and play
poorly.
Conversely, many players who originally play
fairly well for that first 100
hours may encounter bad
luck, but not knowing what
to expect, they may decide
they arenʼt good enough.
Every year thousands of
potential poker super stars
give up and vanish from the
poker scene because their
earliest result didnʼt match
their expectations. In some
cases, theyʼre playing profitably from the get-go, but
run out of money, never to
be seen again. They donʼt
know theyʼre playing well
enough to win. Theyʼre
experiment has been too
limited in scope, and it has
failed.
But mostly, disasters
happen to players whose
expectations are too high.
Typically, capable players donʼt keep big enough
bankrolls. How much do
you need to be safe? Well,
it takes an unreasonably
large bankroll to be completely safe and small bankrolls are OK to take shots
with, even though youʼre
not safe. Thatʼs strange, but
itʼs the truth. Thereʼs nothing wrong with taking shots
with short bankrolls, hoping to catch fire and reach
a more secure plateau.
But once you arrive, you
better take care to protect
your bankroll and not take
unnecessary risks.
It’s an illusion
Unfortunately, many wouldbe professional players
think that keeping – oh,
letʼs say – 20 to 40 minimum buy-ins is sufficient.
They can go very long
periods without ever mov-
ing down that much, so
these inadequate bankrolls
begin to feel comfortable to
them. Itʼs an illusion. You
canʼt really say how big a
bankroll you need at poker.
It depends on you well you
play relative to your opponents and what the word
“safe” means to you. No
bankroll is completely safe.
Just to take a wild guess,
if youʼre a winning player
with a typical edge against
mostly weaker opponents,
you need 100 minimum
buy-ins to be anywhere
near safe, even in the short
term.
Now a minimum buy-in
is usually defined to mean
10 small bets in most limit
games. Thatʼs $100 in a
$10 and $20 game, $500 in
a $50 and $100 game, and
$2,000 in a $200 and $400
game. Iʼm saying you need
100 of those minimum buyins to even have a chance
of being safe, and if your
expectations run contrary to
that, beware!
That means, if $10 and
$20 is your primary game,
try to keep a bankroll of
at least $10,000 – more
is preferred. For $50 and
$100 games, keep at least
$50,000, for $200 and
$400 games, keep at least
$200,000, but much more is
preferred because you want
to protect large bankrolls
more than small ones.
Does everyone do that?
Of course not. They have
unrealistic expectations
and those expectations will
eventually destroy them. If
youʼre playing in a $10 and
$20 game with $10,000,
you can be pretty darn sure
there will be someone in the
$50 and $100 game next
door with only an $8,000
bankroll. They will tend to
feel superior – itʼs only natural – but not only are you
the one with more money,
your prospects of acquiring much more money in
the future are much, much
greater than the other guyʼs.
When your expectations are
realistic – and you realize
that sooner or later, 20 buyins wonʼt be enough, youʼre
the survivor, youʼre the
success, youʼre the professional.
Plan for the
worst case
You will have a much bet(Continued on page 19)
4
APRIL 4, 2005
POKER PLAYER
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EDITORIAL CONSULTANT
Phil Hevener
CONSULTANT
Contributing
Columnists
Nolan Dalla
George Epstein
“Oklahoma Johnny” Hale
Ashley Adams
Susie Isaacs
Diane McHaffie
James McKenna
I. Nelson Rose
Nic Szeremeta
Rich Wilens
John Vorhaus
Ernie Kaufman, Sports
Joseph Smith
WEBMASTER
[email protected]
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Volume 8 Number 20.
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APRIL 4, 2005
5
A Poker History Lesson, PART III
CHIP CHATTEr
By SUSIE ISAACS
In some poker rooms in the early days of
poker in Las Vegas, one low-limit, high-volume table would be designated as a “snatch” table. Specially
trained dealers would visibly take four or five dollars from
the pot as the rake, and then discretely take another six,
eight, 10, even 12 dollars by “palming” the chips. These dealers were called “snatch dealers.” They actually were “snatching” chips from the pot. One such snatch dealer was Linda
Davis who as a young woman was one of the first female
poker dealers in Las Vegas and one of the first female snatch
dealers. She reminisced, “We were taught to snatch when we
were taught to deal. The dealer who snatched the most during a week would receive a bonus envelope. I loved to play
poker and I was pretty good but dealing was so lucrative, I
dealt as much as I could. Snatch games began to die out in
the late 70’s when the boys (the mob) were on their way out
and the Feds were coming in. By the early 80’s the poker
games were fully regulated and there were no more snatch
games.”
In 1970, Benny Binion decided to create a battle of poker
giants and dubbed it “The World Series of Poker.” That first year
there were seven players and the following year 13. The numbers
of entrants never stopped growing. In 1978 the first woman
entered the major competition. Her name is Barbara Freer. In
1986 the player field had grown to 141 players and Wendeen Eolis
became the first woman ever to win money in what the men considered “their event.” Poker was becoming known as a game of
skill as a result of the World Series of Poker.
Some free-spirited women began to play poker publicly in
Las Vegas, Reno and California card rooms. They were a vast
minority and had to be strong-willed to survive the negativity
from the male dominated majority.
When it came to Vera Richmond, strong-willed is an
understatement. She was the first woman to match wits
and bankrolls with the likes of Doyle Brunson, Johnny Moss,
Stu Ungar, Bobby Baldwin and other high-stakes poker players. Her father was Alfred Neiman of Neiman Marcus and
she owned Vera Designs in Beverly Hills, California. The one
overall general consensus in respect to Vera Richmond’s
poker play was that the men hated her. June Field, a personal friend of Vera’s recalls, “Vera had as much money as
any of them, as much nerve, and could out cuss any of them.
They could not intimidate Vera!” Vera Richmond was the
first woman to win a World Series of Poker open field event
in 1982. Although her being the first female to win a coveted
World Series of Poker bracelet is a matter of public record,
the men so disliked her that they never acknowledged her
accomplishment. It would be 14 years later before another
woman; Barbara Enright won another open field event. Most
believe that Enright is the first woman in history to win an
open field event.
From 2000 to the present day most men still consider
poker a blood sport that requires testosterone to play while
more and more women realize it is a great social activity.
With the advent of Internet poker to practice in private and
televised poker competition to watch and enjoy, kitchen table
players have become more comfortable with the game. Only a
few years ago it was estimated that fifty million people played
poker. Today, that estimate is over eighty million and growing. Female poker players are coming on strong but remain a
minority. Statistically speaking, the number of female poker
players versus their male counterparts entering major poker
competitions compared to where they finish, suggests that the
feminine contestant is the strongest.
Poker, it’s past is legendary and it’s future is limitless.
Susie Isaacs has written about poker and poker
players since 1985. She is the first woman to win
back-to-back titles at the World Series of Poker.
Her latest venture is a line of “Designer Gaming
Jewelry.” Visit www.susieisaacs.com.
6
APRIL 4, 2005
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APRIL 4, 2005
7
Working Hard Vs Working Smart
POwer POKER PSYCHOLOGY
By JAMES A. M C KENNA, P H D.
Playing cards can be hard work. Working
smart is playing worthwhile hands and it’s
betting on hands that will pay the most returns. Playing
hard means playing against the odds and playing hands that
are either not likely to show up or won’t pay that much if
they do.
All poker players are chasing a hand at some point. Some
are chasing hard and others are chasing smart. Betting on
the come is not just something that happens in craps. In
Texas Hold ‘Em, you have the first two cards to decide to bet
on the come (unless you are the big blind). The flop comes
and you are an instant winner or you are continuing to bet
on the come. This is where you become a working hard or a
working smart player.
Here are some questions to answer that will reveal
whether you work hard or smart.
1) Suppose you make middle pair on the flop and someone bets before you. Chances are good that the other
player has the top pair. You could stay to outrun with your
lower pair if you got a set (one more of that pair). Would
you stay in?
2) You have one card that’s higher than any other cards
on the flop. Everyone bets. Would you chase, hoping to get
your Ace or King paired? Suppose you stay and on the turn,
it’s still another low card. Someone bets. Would you call?
3) You come in with two connectors above seven. Would
you play this in any position? So, you play this and then the
flop is an open-ended straight. Two people before you bet
and call. Would you bet or raise the bets on the come?
4) After the flop, you are chasing an open-ended straight
and a flush draw. How long would you play this hand and
would you semi-bluff with it or just call as the flop unfolds?
If you know nothing about odds and you are playing blindly, you are working harder than you should be in poker. Let’s
look at the odds for each of the above scenarios.
1) Middle Pair. If you flop middle pair and stay in to outrun the top pair, you are working too hard. The chance of
you making trips is one in eleven. You only have two outs
and an 8% chance of making trips. So, you might as well
just throw your chips into a wishing well.
2) One Over-card. If you are holding an Ace or a King,
a lot of bettors have made the pot odds go up. If also has
made the odds of two small pairs or a possible straight draw
likely to be present. It’s time to throw this hand away. Since
the pot is larger, some players will stay in to see the turn.
You only have three outs and a 13% chance that your card
will show up. In $3/6, the size of the pot would have to be
at least $84 for you to stay since the odds are 14:1 that you
won’t get that over-card.
3) Playing connectors. You have more outs with this type
of come bet. First of all, if you have high connectors, you
could get top pair as well as chase the straight. For the
open-ended straight that you flopped, you have 8 outs and a
32% chance of making this straight. So, although it’s not a
sure thing, it’s working smart to play connectors—especially
if they are big ones.
4) Suited connectors. Your odds go rapidly up here.
After the flop, you have a chance to get both a straight
and a flush. This means that you have 15 outs and a 54%
chance of making this chase.
There are more questions we could ask. For more details
on the odds of chasing different hands, look for my book
coming out in June, 2005.
James A. McKenna, PhD., has been a practicing individual
and group therapist for over thirty-five years. His knowledge of human behavior combined with over thirty years of
gaming experience gives him a unique perspective on the
psychology of the gamer. His book, “Beyond Tells-Power
Poker Psychology,” will be published soon by Gambling
Times. Write to him at [email protected].
8
APRIL 4, 2005
Sam Mudaro, BA, MBA, is a practicing tax
accountant and financial executive originally
from New York with over 35 years of analytical business expertise. He and his wife Eva
are nine-year Las Vegas residents. Sam uses
simulation software to analyze and develop
strategies for Omaha Hi/Lo and other forms of
poker. Reach Sam at: [email protected].
Sam Mudaro is the...
Different Hand Types
suited to segregate
you play Omaha H/L
card. How your hand is
the effect of flush
you have probably
suited or non-suited does
draws. I ran each combiheard your peers state you
not affect your win pernation 2 million times to
should play 4-cards that
centage by more than 2%.
ensure each 3 card combiwork together. There is no
nation would be thoroughly Your net win however
doubt that 4-cards workfluctuates more that
ing together is better
Hand
Suit
W Rate
Net 20% or over $4.00
than 3-cards working
A-2-3
NS
37.03%
17.49 per hand on avertogether. Statistically
A-2-3
DS
38.50%
20.75 age. Moving on to
we will be dealt 3TS
36.49%
16.18 the 2-3-4 the drop is
cards working together A-2-3
more often that 4. Are
Averages
37.34%
18.14 dramatic. The win
these 3-card combina2-3-4
NS
17.36%
1.25 percent is nearly cut
tions worth playing?
2-3-4
DS
22.33%
2.31 in half while the net
Omaha H/L starting
2-3-4
TS
19.03%
1.60 win per hand drops to
less than one tenth!
hands may be classiAverages
19.57%
1.72
This reinforces both
fied into Low, Middle
the power of the Ace and
evaluated with a random
and High drawing hands.
the advantage of drawing
fourth card. Lets take a
I set up these simulations
to the nut low. Should you
to ignore the effect of gaps look at the results for two
play the 2-3-4? It depends
low hands.
between the cards by only
on what your fourth card
If you are dealt A-2-3
looking at connected cards.
you obviously have a very is, how many people have
I classified the hands into
entered the pot and if you
powerful starting hand
non-suited (NS), doubleget to see the flop.
regardless of your fourth
suited (DS), and triple-
If
cards without the all-powerLetʼs now take a look at
the other extreme: three high ful Ace are just not worth
card starting hands.
Hand
Suit
W Rate
Here again we see
NS
16.98%
that the best hand is the Q-K-A
DS
22.39%
one drawing to the nuts. Q-K-A
Q-K-A
TS
15.73%
The flush draw is more
important when playAverages
18.37%
ing high card connecJ-Q-K
NS
2.24%
tors. The double suited
J-Q-K
DS
4.76%
(DS) hand is more than
J-Q-K
TS
2.80%
2 times as profitable as
Averages
3.26%
either the non or single
playing. I should point out
suited variety. Three high
that each of these hands,
except for the Q-K-A do not
have a shot at the low
Net regardless of the fourth
1.20 card. In fact if your
3.16 fourth card is a low
1.32 card it is actually det1.89 rimental. You are hop(1.40) ing your fourth card is
(0.92) either an Ace or another
(1.31) high card enabling you
to make the nut straight
(1.21)
or give you a shot at a
second high flush.
and if you flop a flush you
may have a hard time getting
Letʼs now take a look at
away from it.
the three middle hand
Hand
Suit
W Rate
Net
So what have we
types.
6-7-8
NS
0.85%
(1.87)
learned? You may play
No real surprises here.
DS
1.39%
(1.78) 3 card combinations that
If you have followed my 6-7-8
TS
1.05%
(1.84) work together if you
articles I have mentioned 6-7-8
that the worst three card
Averages
1.10%
(1.83) are drawing to the nuts.
in the deck for Omaha
7-8-9
NS
0.75%
(1.96) You typically want your
H/L players are the 7,
7-8-9
DS
1.19%
(1.89) hand to contain an Ace.
8 and 9. Why are these
7-8-9
TS
0.91%
(1.90) Keep away from middle
connectors regardless
hands so bad? A genAverages
0.95%
(1.92)
of how they are suited.
eral rule of thumb is to
8-9-T
NS
0.72%
(1.93)
Next time I will examalways play hands that
8-9-T
DS
1.15%
(1.85)
ine these same hands
can scoop the pot. The
8-9-T
TS
0.87%
(1.88)
when they comprise the
scoop potential (winning
Averages
0.91%
(1.88)
flop.
both the high and low),
of these hands is minimal.
They will scoop only 0.4%
of the time. In comparison
Cash &
the A-2-3 will scoop 13 %
Tournament Games
7 Day Cruises
while the Q-K-A will average
Caribbean
INFORMATION
7.5%. Another problem with
NE-Canada
866-272-0896
these hands is that when you
see us
Bermuda
on the
make a straight on the high
Alaska
web
side you will generally lose
Poker Games at Sea
to a larger straight. Your flush
draws are not worth pursuing www.pokergamesatsea.com
er Cruises
k
o
P
Rio Holds Hold’Em
a contender for the championship in every event he
plays. Like the Kings, he
seems to have no trouble
breezing past most of the
competition in the early to
middle stages of play. But
when crunch time happens
and the playoffs begin,
many times the Kings
have walked off the court
in disappointment. Tran,
too, has experienced such
disappointment. Take,
for instance, the fact that
he made 13 final tables in
2004, including two final
tables at last yearʼs World
Series of Poker. But just
as the Kings have yet to
win an NBA championship,
Tran has never actually
stood in the winnerʼs circle
at the World Series.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Jim Meehan . . . . . . . . $4,955
Paul Kroh . . . . . . . . . . $4,250
Naresh Ghai . . . . . . . . $3,540
JJ Liu . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,830
Sam Lewis . . . . . . . . . $2,125
Asher Derei Earns
First WSOP Victory
After many years and several other tournament wins,
Israeli-born poker pro wins
Rioʼs Limit Holdʼem championship
“I started playing poker in
Israel,” Derei said. “There
were house games every
Friday night. There were so
many games. I came from
a kibbutz and we didnʼt get
a lot of money. Our parents
would send us money, but it
wasnʼt very much. So, I was
helping my allowance from
the kibbutz by playing poker.”
Dereiʼs fascination with
the game continued when he
joined the Israeli Army. “We
used to play no-limit and five
card draw between attacks,”
he said. “The (enemy)
would attack us every day at
certain times, and when we
werenʼt fighting -- we were
playing poker. You wait for
hours between attacks. You
have to do something -- otherwise get bored to death.
This is how I became experienced and learned how to
play poker.”
Derei moved from Israel
to Europe and enjoyed several tournament successes,
including championship wins
in Holland, England, and
elsewhere. But bigger pots
were to be found across the
Atlantic. Derei came to the
United States primarily for
one reason -- to play poker.
Yet, for all of his cashes
and final tables, the one thing
that had eluded the 52-yearold poker pro had been a title
at the World Series of Poker.
When play commenced
at Event #3 at the Rio Las
Vegas WSOP Circuit, Derei
was the clear crowd favorite.
He came to the final table
third in chips, but he was
(Continued from page 1)
outgunned by formidable
chip-leader John Barbieri by
almost 4 to 1.
Asher Derei caught one
big break at the final table
(making the straight when
play was three-handed) but
also demonstrated the depths
of his experience and game
knowledge. Analogies
between ʻpoker and lifeʼ and
ʻpoker and warʼ may be clichéd and overused, but Derei
clearly won the battle on this
day. The spoils of victory
included $93,120 in prize
money and the gold ring,
awarded to every WSOP
Circuit event winner.
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Scott Espstein. . . . . . $23,630
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Steve Crockett . . . . . $14,770
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APRIL 4, 2005
9
First Out!
STRAIGHT SKINNY
By RICHARD G. BURKE
It cost you $200 to play in the satellite for a seat in the $10,000 buy-in,
No Limit Hold’Em tournament at the WSOP. Fifteen
tables were packed with ten players each eagerly
waiting for the dealers to “put ’em in the air.”
The tournament started. A player in middle position opened for three times the Big Blind. Everyone
between folded. On the button, you peeked at your
hand and saw Ka- Kd. “Hot damn,” you thought,
“Maybe I can double up on the very first hand!”
“All-in,” you announced. Everyone else folded but
the raiser who almost beat you into the pot with
the rest of his chips. As soon as he went all-in, you
just knew he had pocket Aces. He did. His Aces held
up and you were first out.
Returning to your usual card room the next day,
you an-swered your friends’ questions by saying
that you were knocked out early by a “bad beat.”
And you sighed and la-mented your wretched plight
in running up against pocket Aces when you had
pocket Kings. But just how bad a beat was it, really?
That’s an easy question to ask: obtaining the correct
answer is somewhat complicated. Here goes.
Given that you hold pocket Kings, there are fifty
un-known cards pre-Flop, the thirty cards remaining in the deck and the twenty cards dealt to the
ten other players. The four Aces have to be somewhere, so there are five cases to con-sider: no Aces
were dealt; one Ace was dealt; two Aces were dealt;
three Aces were dealt; and, all four Aces were dealt
out to your ten opponents. The first two cases don’t
concern us because no one could have pocket Aces.
The probability for exactly two Aces being dealt
in your opponents’ twenty cards is C(4,2)*C(46,18)/
C(50,20), or 0.3289. Similarly, the probability
of exactly three Aces being dealt is 0.1485. The
chance that all four Aces are in enemy hands is
0.0210. The combined probability that two or more
Aces are somewhere in those ten enemy hands is
0.5284, about a 53-47 chance. “But,” you wail,
“pocket Kings beaten by pocket Aces is a ‘bad
beat,’ not a fifty-fifty deal at all!”
We’re not done yet. There are 19!! ways, called
semi-deals, to have dealt twenty cards into ten,
two-card hands. For all three cases that concern
us, the Aces could be scat-tered among your opponents such that no one has a pair, that someone
does have a pair, or, that two enemies each have
pocket Aces. For two Aces having been dealt out,
the chance that someone has them both is 17!!/19!!,
or .0526. For three aces having been dealt out, the
chance that anyone has two of them is given by
the expression, C(3,2)*17!!/19!!. For all four aces
out, the chance that one opponent has two of them
in the pocket is C(4,2)*16*15!!/19!!, or .2972. The
chance that two opponents each hold pocket Aces
is .0093.
After multiplying, collecting, and summing terms,
the probability that one opponent will have pocket
Aces is 0.0486. (The probability that two will each
have pocket Aces is .0002.) Your pocket Kings will
run up against one or more pocket Aces with a
probability of .0488, about one time in 20.5. That’s
not a “bad beat,” that’s just bad luck.
Only if it were to happen to me would it be a bad
beat.
Mr. Burke is the author of Flop: The Art of Winning at
Low-Limit Hold ’Em, 2nd ed., available from amazon.com,
gamblersbook.com, and www.kokopellipress.com. E-mail
your Hold ’Em questions to [email protected].
10
APRIL 4, 2005
Greenbacks Won at the Bike
prize pool for the Best AllAround Points Playoff that
follows the Championship
event on Sunday, March 27.
Below you will find some
discussion of the results
thanks to Max Shapiro.
Additional details of these
events will be found at:
Engineer Ali Wins
Event 15
Ali Lari, a civil engineer
with modest tournament
experience, was the eventual winner of Winninʼ oʼ
the Greenʼs event 15, $300
limit holdʼem. For an
extended period, the four
finalists were fairly even
in chips, with each leading
at one point. Three of the
players wanted a chip-count
deal, but James Siebert, a
project manager, repeatedly
said no. Finally, Siebert
went broke and a deal
was made. Lari, who had
moved ahead after a couple
of draw-out hands, had
47k in chips. Sang Tran,
a poker dealer at Oceanʼs
11, had 47.5k, and Chung
Ng, a commercial pilot for
Northwest Airlines, had
17k.
Final table play began
with 1k/2k limits and 22:33
left. On hand nine, car
salesman Henry Kaptanjian
was all in with A-J. Siebert
was in the big blind with
just 7-3, but when a trey
flopped we had lost our
first player. After limits went to 2k/4k, Rusty
Mandap, a host at Hawaiian
Gardens, said “Take it,” as
he tossed in his last chip
when Ng bet into a board of
9-9-6-10. All Mandap had
was A-Q and Ng did “take
it” with pocket aces. One
hand later, Eric Prince went
all in for his last 3k with
pocket 10s. “I need luck,”
he said, as Siebert showed
pocket queens. No luck,
and Prince became a pauper
in chips, cashing out eighth.
Eric Arreca was making
his second final table today,
having finished 10th in the
two-day event that started
Wednesday. Both times
the young pro started perilously low-chipped, but now
he hung on by surviving a
couple of all all-ins. He got
as far as hand 24. Holding
pocket 9s, he called all in
with the best hand when
Siebert bet on a board of
Q-7c-6c-4. Siebert had Jc5c, and a river 8c gave him
his flush. Two hands later,
Ng raised with pocket 9s.
Jeff Rasmussen called all in
with pocket kings and Tran
put in his 4k with As-Q.
The flop and turn were all
spades, and Tranʼs nut flush
left Rasmussen in 6th place.
Charles Chatterton, who
is in the transport business, obviously hadnʼt had
much poker experience,
because he repeatedly had
to ask what the bet was.
Still, after starting with
just 4,500 chips, he was
still around. On hand 27,
the board showed J-10-47, and Chatterton bet out
with pocket 9s. Ng raised.
“Letʼs go all in. You have
the best hand,” Ng said,
not exactly telling the truth.
Chatterton hesitated, finally
called and lost to Ngʼs
K-J. With no big disparity in chips, an even chop
was proposed and nixed
by Siebert. Hand 38 was
a turning point for Lari.
Holding A-9, he bet all in
on a flop of Q-9-6. He
was about a 4-1 underdog
to Siebert, who held Q-8.
An ace turned, and Siebert
took a hit, but still declined
a chop. Three hands later,
Lari again had the worst of
it against Siebert. He had
J-9 and Siebert had A-8
with the board showing A9-2-Q. A river 9 gave Lari
trips, and Siebert was now
down to 7k.
Limits went to 3k/6k,
with hand 49 being the last.
Siebertʼs tormentor was the
one who finally finished
him. This time Lari had the
better hand: A-6 versus Js8s. Nobody caught, Siebert
missed his flush draw, and
Lariʼs ace-high left him
in fourth place. A quick
chip-count deal ended the
evening.
BICYCLE CASINO
WINNING OF THE GREEN
EVENT 15
2/18/05
LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $300 + $30
PLAYERS 130
PRIZE
POOL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
$39,000
Ali Lari . . . . . . . . . . . $15,600
Sang Tran . . . . . . . . . . $7,410
Chung Ng . . . . . . . . . . $3,705
James Siebert . . . . . . . $2,340
Charles Chatterton . . $1,755
Jeff Rasmussen . . . . . $1,365
Eric Arreca. . . . . . . . . . .$975
Eric Prince . . . . . . . . . . .$780
Rusty Mandap . . . . . . . .$690
Ty Tran Ties Up
No-Limit
Thai (Ty) Tran, a sales
I F Y O U W A N T TO B E T H E
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Y O U H A V E TO B E AT T H E B E S T.
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APRIL 4, 2005
11
Record Field for European
WSOP Trial
Poker in Europe
DEBBIE BURKHEAD INTERVIEWS...
Allen Karol
MGM’S DIRECTOR OF POKER OPERATIONS
By Nic Szeremeta
Since it was started in the mid 90s, the Concord Card
Casino’s mini version of the World Series championship
event has never really fulfilled its potential. The biggest field was four
years ago when 136 hopefuls had a shot at the no limit hold’em affair run
to the same time table and blind structure as the Las Vegas biggie.
This year, though, everything changed. The Concord was mobbed by
players from 30 countries. PokerStars.com sent a massive party of players as it was one of the featured events in the new televised European
Poker Tour which it is sponsoring. As a result there were many relatively unknown Americans joining the many new faces on the European
scene. There was even a stray Aussie who had made the 25,000 mile
round trip from Sydney.
The 20-yard queue for the pre-event super satellite stretched to the
door of the card room and the field of 165—plus alternates—produced
enough cash to hand out 26 seats. The organizers had anticipated a
field of around 250 with a winner’s purse of EURO 150,000 but when
the cards went in the air 297 players took their seats for a shot at a
first prize of over EURO 180,000—not bad for a EURO 2,000 investment.
This was more than double the previous record. Inevitably there
were side effects. The problem of finding enough space to feed the
players was solved by erecting a marquee restaurant in the car park.
There was no solution to the queues for the bathrooms during the 10
minute breaks. The most unfortunate result of the big turn out was that
the time levels had to be reduced to 75 minutes from the normal two
hours so the original concept of the tournament—to give players a taste
of WSOP championship conditions—was lost.
And the first day’s play was punishing for those who survived it. Nine
levels were played starting at just after 2pm and it was not until 3 am
the following day that the remaining 83 players could head off for their
beds with a restart just nine hours later. Day two was another post midnight marathon to reach the TV stage of the competition.
The final table of eight comprised seven relative unknowns and one
well known face on the European scene. Parisian pharmacist Pascal
Perrault stood second in chips with 641,000 of the near 3 million in
play. Ahead of him was chip leader Andreas Harnemo, a 31-year-old
Swede who mainly plays online. He held 821,000 chips. The rest of the
line-up included two Americans, Tim Ramsey and Josh Schiffman, a 20
year old philosophy student at Duke University. Both were PokerStars
qualifiers. Two English players, Simon Nowab and David Clayton, had
also made it through—both of whom had learned the game at the
northern seaside resort of Blackpool. Completing the line-up were two
former dealers Mika Puro from Finland and Joachim Sanejstra. Joachim
was at home having learnt his dealing trade at the CCC.
Pascal who over the past few years had made more final tables in major
European events than the rest of the field combined certainly had the edge
in experience. Not only that, he had a massive edge in luck also. One the
second day he had moved up the leader board with a run of cards which
were the stuff of dreams for the holders and nightmares for the opponents.
Example—9-9 for Pascal against 10-10 all in for previous EPT winner
Noah Boeken—9 on the flop. Pascal K-Q suited versus pocket kings all
in. No problem Q-Q on the board and another one bites the dust. (For a
hilarious account of the poker fairy’s non-stop visits to the Frenchman
go to Brad Willis’s superb report on www.EPTblog.com).
Suffice it to say that had previous resident of Vienna, Strauss, been
around, he would have written an operetta about it, or at least a tune—
the Beautiful Outdraw Polka or similar. But it would be most unfair to
put Pascal’s win at the final down to luck rather than experience. It may
have been good fortune which helped him to get there but when he
arrived he knew what to do.
Fittingly the two big chip leaders survived to get heads up and then
did a partial deal over the EURO 280,000 for winner and runner up.
Pascal went on to take the title and the pair of them headed off to
Monte Carlo for the Grand Final of the EPT a few days later.
Nic Szeremeta is managing editor of Poker Europa
magazine, the monthly news and views publication from
the Euro side of the pond. To subscribe ( EURO 55 /
$70) email: [email protected], and to find out
what goes on in Europe, go to www.PokerInEurope.com
12
APRIL 4, 2005
Allen Karol was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and grew up in New Jersey.
He attended Montclair State
College in Upper Montclair,
New Jersey.
At the age of 20 Allen
went into finance with
AVCO Financial Services
and within a year became
one of the youngest branch
managers in the history of
AVCO.
Four years later Allen
moved to Spring Hill,
Florida and took a position
with a local bank as head of
their installment and commercial loan department.
In 1977, Allenʼs uncle,
Mel Reiter, a poker dealer
at Circus Circus convinced
Allen to come to Las Vegas
and pursue a career in poker.
Allenʼs only experience in
poker was as a player, he
started playing at the age of
11 in home games with older
teenagers. Allen took his
uncleʼs advice and headed
for Las Vegas. Circus Circus
hired Allen as a break-in
dealer and within a short
time he became a full time
dealer. Three months later
he became a part-time floor
supervisor and dealer and
later that same year he was
promoted to full-time shift
manager.
Seventeen years later, in
1994, Allen was offered the
Cardroom Managerʼs position at Palace Station and
within the first year they had
record numbers in poker.
Somewhere between 1996
and 1997 the old MGM
Grand poker room managerʼs position became available and he was asked to
take the position. Apparently
he was witnessed at the
MGM Grand when he went
for his interview, because
his General Manager was
receiving phone calls about
the position of cardroom
manager at Palace Station.
This triggered Palace to
offer Allen added responsibilities to stay. He was asked
to take on another department so he took on the bingo
department. In less than two
years Allen turned the bingo
department from a losing
proposition to a department
that made money. At that
time Allen was promoted
to Executive Director and
made a member of the
Palace Station Leadership
Committee. They asked him
to take on another department, this time he took on
the keno department, and
now he was head of poker,
bingo and keno. He was
also promoted to Director of
Associated Gaming.
Allen left Station Casinos
in November of 2000 and
took a couple months off to
relax then he started his own
gaming consulting company.
In October of 2004 Allen
was appointed Director of
Poker Operations for the
future poker room at the
MGM Grand, in Las Vegas,
Nevada.
DB: When is the MGM
Grand scheduled to open the
new poker room?
AK: We are scheduled to
open on Monday, March 28,
barring any delays, with 23
tables.
DB: Rumor had you opening with 25 tables, why the
change?
AK: For player comfort. I
want the players to be comfortable when they play. We
want the players to be in a
relaxed atmosphere where
they have room and not feel
like sardines in a tin can .
This room is very unique,
itʼs shaped like an hour
glass, and it almost has the
feel of two rooms in one.
DB: Are you excited about
opening a new room?
AK: Yes, so much so, there
are no words to describe it..
My goal has always been
to take an operation from
ground zero and build it to
one of the premier poker
rooms known throughout the
world.
DB: Is MGM very supportive in this endeavor?
AK: The people here at
MGM Grand are extremely
supportive because they
want to ensure the job gets
done properly. Everyone
here works together as a
team. We all do whatever it
takes to get the job done.
DB: How experienced is
your staff?
AK: Iʼll give you the names
of some of my staff and let
you be the judge of how
experienced they are. Mike
Green will be my Day Shift
Manager, Mike Vento will
run the graveyard shift, Gary
Boyd will be a Swing Shift
Manager, Bobby Rihel will
be a floor supervisor and
Mary Fico will double as
floor supervisor and relief
shift manager. I do believe
that anyone who has been
around poker for any length
of time will recognize some
if not all of those names.
Three of them are former
card room managers.
DB: What are your expectations in filling a 23 table
cardroom?
AK: I have great expectations. In my estimation, with
poker being what it is today,
and with the MGM Grand
having 5,000 rooms, combined with our experienced
staff, my expectations are
high, almost immediate.
DB: Even with the existing
poker rooms and more big
rooms opening in Vegas?
AK: Itʻs my belief, with the
popularity of poker today,
that there will be plenty of
players to go around and
we will all do well. With
the advent of all the televised poker events, and the
online poker sites, we have
an entire new generation of
poker players.
DB: How long do you
believe this poker phenomenon will last?
AK: Long after weʻre gone.
You can play poker up until
you die. Iʻve had players
play poker on a daily basis
up in their 90ʼs against players in their 20ʼs.
DB: What live games will
you spread at the MGM
Grand?
AK: We will let the water
seek its own level. We are
prepared to spread whatever
the players choose to play.
We will spread holdʼem
games starting at $2-$4 up
to as high as theyʼd like to
glares at me, “no one cheats
the House Of Cards.”
“You have come to The
House of Cards because, for
you, playing for money is
not enough. Here the stakes
are, literally, an arm and
a leg. In the early rounds
final.”
I look around. The other
players, especially Shemp,
look excited to be in this
bizaree sado-masochistic
game.
“Weʼll play the first hand
for a hand,” says Jenny as
“X” is for X-Game
A Poker Player Murder Mystery by Robert Arabella
I tell Jenny, “Iʼm not the
Spade thief. I didnʼt cheat
the House of Cards. Gyp had
two partners. I was there to
cheat. The other, the player
I call Shemp, was there to
kill. Heʼs the one you want.
You have to believe me.”
“The Rules,” answers
Jenny, “say I have to let you
play. Nowhere do they say I
have to believe you.”
The doorbell rings.
“That,” says Jenny, “will
be our final player.” She
opens the door. Standing
there, holding up an As, is
Shemp.
The Small Man stops me
from killing Shemp. “Good
evening,” says Jenny, taking
his Spade. “Welcome to The
House of Cards. I am the
Mistress of the Game. Come
with me.”
Eight players sit around a
poker room. Shemp and I sit
down. The Small Man locks
the door.
“No one,” says Jenny,
taking the Dealerʼs chair,
“knows the true origins of
the House of Cards. Many
believe the first game was
a course of scopa played in
Rome in 1519 by Lucretia
Borgia; others believe that
the first game was a round
of poque played in Paris
in 1793 by the Marquis de
Sade; or that the first game
was a hand of whist played
in 1888 by Jack The Ripper.
In the late nineteenth century this survival-of-the-fittest
game was called “Darwinʼs
Game.” In the late twentieth
century, it was called “The
Executionerʼs Game.” This
has now been shortened to
“The ʻXʼ Game.”
“We play no-limit
holdʼem. For your $250,000
buy-in you have been given
1000 poker chips. They
each have a value of $250.
The Blinds will begin at
$500/$250 and will double
every half hour. Once your
chips are gone you will
taken from this room by
the Houseʼs Enforcer,” she
indicates the Small Man,
“who will collect what you
owe. Please remember,” she
we will play Biblical Rules
– the bets will be ʻAn
Eye For An Eye.ʼ We will
then progress to Vampire
Rules, Cannibal Rules, and
finally, when we are down
to the last two players,
Shakespeareʼs Rules, when
the bet will be ʻA Pound of
Flesh.ʼ In all disputes the
decision of the House is
she deals.
The game begins. Iʼm
in last position with Tin,
10f10a. An Old Man,
first to act, calls. Shemp
calls. Three players fold. I
call. The Small Blind folds.
“Three players.”
The flop comes
8s9aJs. The Old Man
checks. Shemp checks. I,
drawing to a open-ended
straight draw, check. Fourth
Street brings an 8a. The
Old Man bets. Shemp raises.
I call. Fifth Street is a 3s
The Old Man bets. Shemp
raises, I fold. The re-raises
go down to the felt.
“Letʼs see them.”
Shemp shows down 99
Bottles of Beer.
“9ʼs full of 8ʼs,” calls
Jenny.
The Old Man tosses away
his As high flush. The
Small Man takes hold of the
Old Manʼs hand.
Shemp leans over and
says to me, “Youʼre next.”
My two-word reply is lost
in the Old Manʼs scream.
APRIL 4, 2005
(To be continued in the next
issue of Poker Player)
13
Playing by HEART
I read this quote recently: “I believe that only one person out of a thousand knows the trick of really living
in the present. Most of us spend fifty-eight minutes
each hour living in the past, regretting
lost joys, or feeling shame for things
FRESH YOUNG FACE OF Poker
presents
By Jennifer Matiran
badly done (both utterly useless and
weakening); or living in the future which we either long
for or dread. The only way to live is to accept each
minute as an unrepeatable miracle, which is exactly
what it is-a miracle that will not be repeated.”
When I play poker, I win more days than lose. On the
winning days, I feel very good, not just because of the
money but also because I “feel” like a winner. On losing days, I feel bad and I keep repeating the errors that
I made over and over in my mind. I’ve known that this
happens to most players but lately it’s been different for
me. At times, when I win other players money, I feel sad
and guilty. Do you have any thoughts on what might be
happening? Thanks.
—Christian
Las Vegas, Nevada
Whoa, I thought that only happened to me. Ever since,
I started writing columns for Poker Player, several
people have asked me if I was a professional player? My
answer is “no,” followed by an ego induced “but I could
be if I wanted to.” Professional means, participating
for gain or livelihood in an activity or field. So to be a
professional poker player, one must play often. See, I
personally, could not play poker on a schedule because
poker to me is an art. I have to be in the right mind-set
because if I’m not I tend to feel the way you described.
Whenever I’ve hit the tables, when something inside said
“not today” I have either played bad poker or I’ve won
but felt bad about it. Hmm? Christian, all I could say
is these days; I yield to the Heart. Don’t play when the
voice inside says not to, trust that the Heart is always
wiser than the brain. Then, you’ll always feel like a winner even when you lose.
—For What It’s Worth,,
Jennifer
It’s springtime, a time when all of nature is being born
and I want to wish you a fabulous season. I wish you a
season filled with wonder and excitement. I wish you a
season of letting go. I wish you a season of trust and
delight. I wish you a season of healing. I wish you a season of success in the poker world and beyond. I wish you
a season of new understandings. I wish you a season of
forgiveness and love. I wish you a season of living in the
“miracle” moments. I wish you a season of prosperity. I
wish you a season of gratitude. I wish you a season of
“being at the right place at the right time.” But most of
all I wish you a season of the ROYAL FLUSH…
Do you know what the Royal Flush is? It’s the best
of the best. It’s unstoppable and cannot be matched.
It’s A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit, okay I know you know
but I don’t only wish that for you at the poker table,
I wish it upon your life. Not just because of material
wealth and prestige but also to remind you of the winner
that you are and always have been. Until next time, “if
you’ve been traveling in the wrong direction, remember
it’s never too late to make a U-turn.”
Changing the world one sentence at a time, Jennifer
Matiran believes the pen is, and always will be, mightier than the sword. She hopes to emerge into the tournament circuit of Poker. Contact her with questions,
comments or interesting material at PO Box 2331,
Corona CA 92878, or by e-mail at matiran@sbcglobal.
net. Ms. Matiran has just completed her latest screenplay, her other passion (besides Poker!).
14
APRIL 4, 2005
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LESSON 46:
Hanging Your Opponents
Mike says that opponents who aren’t easy to maneuver, who are
forceful, unpredictable, who raise unexpectedly, and bet with weak
hands in an attempt to control the game should be
allowed to hang themselves. He allows those play-
Lessons from mike caro
university of poker
BY DIANE MCHAFFIE
ers to do the betting even if he has good hands. He
doesn’t want to scare them off with a raise, if they’re betting on a
weak hand or bluffing. If he’s the first to act, he’ll just check.
Before Mike uses this strategy on his opponents he considers
whether they are liberal callers and whether they are predictable or
unpredictable. If the opponent is predictable, then Mike will usually
bet semi-strong hands, because he’ll make most of his profit from
weak calls. If the opponent isn’t predictable, Mike’s going to allow
the player to hang himself.
Extra rope. Mike will allow his opponent some extra rope when
he checks, allowing the player to bet. Then Mike will call. Mike says
that’s the “signature of my style of poker.”
When playing no-limit, Mike will use this technique repeatedly
against an opponent who is too feisty. Another thing to keep in mind
in no-limit poker is how probable it is that your opponent will call
bets of various sizes? That’s why no-limit is much more complex than
limit. With no-limit, the size of the bet isn’t established in advance as
it is in limit. You can move all-in in no-limit. Or you can bet the minimum—or anything in between.
Mike says, “I believe that the ideal bet size for most hands against
most opponents averages less than the size of the pot, despite the
common wisdom that the pot should be the most normal bet size.”
For example, if you hold a very strong hand in a no-limit game
and your opponent is an unpredictable guy that is rather feisty with
$3,000 in chips, facing a $2,000 pot, and has checked to you on the
final betting round, how much are you going to bet?
Mike says that he would usually bet about $750, because he thinks
there’s a good possibility that the player has a rather weak hand and
isn’t an exceptionally loose caller. He’s a lively player, so give him a
chance to hang himself by raising you. A $750 bet could possibly do
that.
Important things. Below is a list of some of the important things
that can happen when using the hanging strategy. Mike has kindly
provided this list for your educational purposes.
1. My opponent might have a weak hand and will call, hoping
that I’m bluffing.
2. My opponent might have a weak hand and will fold.
3. My opponent might have a strong or semi-strong hand that
he sandbagged and will raise.
4. My opponent might have a semi-strong hand that he
sandbagged and will decide to just call at the last second,
meaning I probably could have made more money by betting
more.
5. My opponent may have a hopeless hand and decide that he
has a good chance of bluffing by using his remaining $2,250
that I didn’t bet.
Desperate raise. If your opponent has a strong or semi-strong hand
you should probably bet the maximum. By doing this you give your
opponent, who may hold a weak hand, a chance to make a small
call, hoping that you’re bluffing, whereas he might not have called a
larger bet with that hand.
Mike says this is the most important fact to remember. “You’re giving your opponent a chance to hang himself with a desperate raise of
his last $2,250 with a garbage hand with which he wouldn’t even have
called $750—if that were all he had. That last possibility, the biggest of
all hangings, is the one that makes this $750 underbet profitable.”
Mike says once you understand how this strategy works, you’ll
discover how profitable it can be for you. I think it also sounds like a
fun way to make a profit.
Diane McHaffie is Director of Operations at Mike Caro
University of Poker, Gaming, and Life Strategy. Her
diverse career spans banking, promotion of major financial seminars and the raising of White-tailed Deer.
You can write her online at [email protected].
16
APRIL 4, 2005
Greenbacks at the Bike
executive, was tied up in
a luncheon meeting and
arrived 10 minutes late
for day two of event 14,
$300 no-limit holdʼem.
He quickly retook his lost
blinds and antes and went
on a rush the final few
hands to take the lead when
the tournament ended in a
three-way deal.
Ty Tran is a sales manager for a technology company, and a downtown business luncheon that ended
at 1:40 had him speeding
down the freeway to get
to this eventʼs 2 p.m. start.
Tran has only been playing poker for a year and a
half now and has He only
plays no-limit, including
$300 games at Oceanʼs 11
and $600 at Commerce. “I
feel this game rewards talented play,” he said. “You
have to be aggressive, and
you have to be creative.”
Toward the end, he felt that
then-chip-leader Kutash
was playing conservatively,
so he began putting the
pressure on, and that got
him the lead and victory.
Tran plays about five
tournaments a month and
heʼs rung up an impressive
record. He estimates that
heʼs finished first or second
out of every 10 tournaments
and has made the money 60
percent of the time.
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT 14
3/16/05
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $300 + $30
PLAYERS 374
PRIZE
POOL
$112,200
Thai Tran
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Thai Tran . . . . . . . . . $42,075
Ross Kutash . . . . . . . $21,320
Jorge Pineda . . . . . . $10,660
Guy Magar . . . . . . . . . $7,295
Robert Turner . . . . . . $5,050
Sirous Baghchehsaraie . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,925
7. Peter Nam . . . . . . . . . $2,805
8. Alan Patatanyan . . . . $2,245
9. Jim Fox . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,690
when a four-way deal ended
the 13th event of Winninʼ oʼ
the Green, pot-limit holdʼem.
The key pot came when he
picked off mortgage broker
Keith Dabols and surged into
a big lead. The mortgage
broker had been playing
wildly and riding an upand-down elevator. Vinci
was waiting for him. On
hand 43, the flop came 6-52. Dabols, thinking his J-5
was good, bet the pot. Vinci
raised and Dabols, putting
him on just an ace, re-raised
Vinci all in. Vinci showed
him pocket 10s, and Dabols
handed over 21,400 chips
after an A-2 didnʼt change
anything. Vinci now had a
commanding lead which he
held onto until the end.
Paul Vinci wasnʼt at all
happy with his play last
month at Commerceʼs Los
Angeles Poker Classic,
but felt his game was at its
peak tonight. “He played
flawlessly. No mistakes,”
George Rechnitzer said
admiringly. Vinci, who
owns a pizzeria restaurant
in San Luis Obispo, has
been playing poker since
1999. Until two years ago
he played only tournaments,
but now also plays no-limit
and Omaha side games. His
biggest score came when
he won $70,000 in the 2003
Los Angeles Poker Classic
pot-limit Omaha event. In
2004 he had another LAPC
win in no-limit holdʼem.
He also boasts a best allaround at the National Poker
Championship in ʼ97.
Vinci, who classifies
himself as a very aggressive player, credits his poker
prowess to two friends and
tutors, John Bonetti, who
taught him holdʼem, and
Eskimo Clark, who gave him
lessons in deuce to seven
lowball.
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT 13
Paul Vinci . . . . . . . . . $14,160
Charles Schonder . . . $6,725
Giebrehiwet Goitom . $3,365
George Pechnitzer . . . $2,125
Keith Dabolls . . . . . . . $1,595
Alex Limjoco . . . . . . . $1,240
Paul Rowe . . . . . . . . . . .$885
Ron McMillan . . . . . . . .$705
Michael Mercado. . . . . .$595
Engineer Alex
Wins Limit
Alex Limjoco, a structural
engineer who plays a lot of
tournaments, had a very big
chip lead in the late stages
of this $300 limit holdʼem
event, largely on the strength
of a couple of straights.
Screenwriter Adam Slutsky
then nearly caught him, but
Limjoco still was slightly
ahead and was declared the
winner when event number
12 ended in a three-way deal.
It was a friendly table
with a lot of familiar local
faces. “Nooner, Nooner,
Nooner,” Limjoco said at
one stage, pointing around
the table. With four players
left, he and two others, Paul
Javier and Mario Espinoza,
were regulars at the Bicycle
Casinoʼs popular “Nooner”
daily tournaments. “I guess
Iʼm a ʻninerʼ then,” cracked
Slutsky.
Espinoza made a good
call in a big pot on hand 33.
With the board showing K8-4-7-J, Javier bet. After
very long thought, Espinoza
called all in, and his acehigh beat Javierʼs queenhigh. Two hands later it
was over. Slutsky had A-7,
Espinoza A-2. Slutsky
check-raised and the betting
was capped. The 7-kicker
played, and we were down
to three. The chip count
now was: Limjoco, 85k;
Slutsky, 80k; Javier, 11.5k,
and the deal was made.
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT 12
BUY-IN $300 + $30
3/14/05
LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $200 + $25
PLAYERS 227
3/15/05
POT LIMIT HOLD’EM
PRIZE
POOL
$45,400
PLAYERS 118
PRIZE
POOL
$34,400
Vinci is Victor in
Pot-Limit
Restaurant owner and tournament specialist Paul Vinci
had half the chips in play
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Alex Limjoco
1. Alex Limjoco . . . . . . $17,025
2. Adam Slutsky. . . . . . . $8,625
Paul Vinci
Peppermill Spring Tournament Ends
and tournament schedules
will be found on this site.
Biographies of all major
poker players will be available, and, all players who
wish may have their bios
on this site. Most names
when they appear in our
text or results will be
hyperlinked to additional
information about that
person. A directory of
every card room that we
know will be found on this
site. When available, live
television feeds will be on
this site from various card
rooms, like the Bicycle
Casino in Los Angeles.
A special new feature
of this site is the Players
Compendium of Poker
Lore, a poker encyclopedia
that will be built on the
internet by the entire poker
community that wishes to
contribute. All contributors
whose information is published will be credited with
their entries, permanently,
even when they may be
changed. All submissions
will be edited by the Poker
Player newspaper staff for
accuracy and appropriate
language.
A periodic newsletter
will be sent FREE to those
who subscribe on the site,
letting all participants know
of the latest new information and features on the
site.
Advertisers are welcome
on the site, where you will
find rates and information. Unlike some other
sites and publishers, Poker
Player does NOT operate businesses competitive
with our advertisers, nor
do we participate in any
commission arrangements
that create unethical conflicts of interest with our
advertisers. We never have
an interest in any program
that produces benefits when
our readers lose. We are
devoted to helping all of
our readers to play a better
game and win.
A number of additional
features will be coming
along in the near future, as
this is just the beginning.
Included in that arena will
be Chat Rooms, where you
can communicate directly
4OURNAMENT0RIZE0OOL
First Place ................ $ 100,000
Second Place ........... $ 50,000
Third Place ............... $ 25,000
Fourth Place ............. $ 12,500
Fifth Place ................ $ 10,000
Sixth Place ............... $ 7,500
Seventh Place .......... $ 6,250
Eighth Place ............. $ 5,000
Ninth Place ............... $ 3,750
Tenth Place ............... $ 2,500
11th – 20th Place ..... $ 1,500 ea.
21st – 30th Place ..... $ 1,000 ea.
The Peppermill Casino in
Reno concluded its annual
Spring Poker Tournament
on March 6. Results of the
events not covered in our
last issue will be found
below.
PEPPERMILL
SPRING POKER TOURNAMENT
EVENT#15
3/5/05
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $120
PLAYERS 207
PRIZE
POOL
$20,700
PEPPERMILL
EVENT#16
3/6/05
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
CHAMPIONSHIP
BUY-IN $535
PLAYERS 128
PRIZE
POOL
$64,000
Jerry Van Horton
1. Jerry Van Horton . . . $7,855
Kenn Wittock
Kenn Wittock . . . . . . $19,115
Spence Barber . . . . . $10,075
Khiem Nguyen . . . . . . $5,900
Robert Ching . . . . . . . $3,790
Bruce Peck . . . . . . . . . $2,645
Sarge Baza . . . . . . . . . $1,985
Mark Bansemer . . . . . $1,580
Doug Popick . . . . . . . . $1,315
Don Grove . . . . . . . . . $1,140
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
2. Brian Dennis . . . . . . . $4,090
PEPPERMILL
3. Chris Thomasson. . . . $2,340
EVENT#13
3/4/05
4. Ken Salazar . . . . . . . . $1,460
5. Alfred Dufner . . . . . . . $980
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $120
6. Lance Donnell . . . . . . . $705
PLAYERS 204
7. Paul McNabb . . . . . . . . $535
John McCay
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
John McCay . . . . . . . $24,480
Tam Van Nguyen . . . $12,800
Bobby Quiring . . . . . . $7,395
Bruce Peck . . . . . . . . . $4,670
Khiem Nguyen . . . . . . $3,195
John Henderson. . . . . $2,335
Mike Husa . . . . . . . . . $1,810
Michael Ta . . . . . . . . . $1,470
Barry Smith . . . . . . . . $1,245
PRIZE
POOL
8. Danny Rogers . . . . . . . $435
$20,400
9. Leon Khochayan . . . . . $350
PEPPERMILL
EVENT#14
3/5/05
LIMIT HOLD’EM
CHAMPIONSHIP
BUY-IN $535
PLAYERS 99
PRIZE
POOL
Mike Atlas
$49,500
IN,UCKY,OSER
$RAWING0RIZES
Five names will be drawn
prior to the final table,
with each “Lucky Loser”
winning $500.
• Buy-In – $500 = $1,500 chips
• $25 Dealer Bonus = $500 chips
• No Re-Buys
* Prize money based on 500 entrants.
APRIL 4, 2005
17
Sit and Gos (SNGs)
STUD SENSE
By ASHLEY ADAMS
On line one or two table tournaments, commonly called “Sit and Gos” or “SNGs” in the parlance of the
Internet poker rooms, are a relatively inexpensive and fun
way to play our favorite game. I’ve won about 65% of the
ones I’ve entered. So let me share some of my observations.
Players begin with a modest stack of $800. The game
begins at $15/30, with $2 antes and a $5 bring and progresses rapidly, reaching $300/600 within an hour and a
half or so. The Stud tourneys go up in stakes every ten
hands.
The quality of players is typical very poor. They are pretty easy pickings if you play carefully. Here is a very, very
abbreviated strategy.
Be aggressive in the early rounds, but be more selective than you would be in a ring game with similarly loose
and passive players. That is, during the first three or four
stages when the game is full, stay out of hands where you
don’t have both a large advantage with a Premium Pair and
the ability to narrow the field. If you’re in late position, for
example, and find that your completion doesn’t knock out
all but one or two players because so many players have
already called the bring-in when the bet gets to you, consider folding your 10s, Jacks and Queens if they don’t have
an Ace to go with them. But if you are in position to make
it a double bet to go, or think for some other reason that
your raise can knock everyone or all but one player out of
the game, then make a raise.
Do not play drawing hands for the most part – unless you
can play for just the bring-in -- even the ones you’d typically play in a loose low limit affair. Though you will have
the best of it with all of the loose callers, your finite stack
can’t take the gamble.
Consider the stack size of your likely opponent before
you enter the hand. It’s often more important than the
cards you hold. Be more aggressive against the shortstacked player who is just hanging on and likely to fold to
your pressure – or likely to just fling in his remaining chips
out of desperation. Stay out of the way of large dueling
stacks. With such a finite field, and money for the last
three places, survival is much, much more important in this
type of game than in a ring game.
Good short-handed play is critical. Remember that knocking players out is the key to your success. Stay out of pots
where two or more players are already engaged. Be more
likely to call a very short-stacked player if you think no one
else will – even if you’re a slight underdog. With (3 3) A
against a raising (x x) K, if you’re last to go and the King has
a very small stack and you are pretty deep, call the raise.
The opportunity of knocking them out if you catch good
and they don’t improve (or catching them in a bluff) is often
worth the potential small hit to your large stack.
Use the knowledge gleaned during the tournament
to exploit your heads up opponent in the last stages.
Typically, opponents tend to be too impatient, trying to
steal antes and buy the pot with overly aggressive raising.
You be patient, waiting for hands with at least two high
cards or a pair. And bully the players whom you’ve learned
will fold too often under pressure.
Played correctly, you should turn these SNGs into Play
And Wins!
Ashley Adams is the author of Winning 7-Card Stud,
(Kensington Press 2003). He has been playing 7-Card
Stud for 40 years—and profitably in casinos for the past
10 years. He has played in casinos all over the world,
including England, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Hungary,
Canada and the United States, but plays most frequently
at at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard Connecticut.
Professionally, he is a union organizer and an agent for
broadcasters. He can be reached at: [email protected]
18
APRIL 4, 2005
World Poker Exchange Partners With Susie Isaacs
Antigua, March 9, 2005—
World Poker Exchange
(WPE) today announced an
exclusive partnership with
professional poker champion
Susie Isaacs. The agreement
is the first of its kind for the
rapidly expanding poker site
and calls for the organization
to officially sponsor Isaacs
in a large tournament series,
which began with the Pro
Poker Tour at Bay 101, San
Jose.
“I am thrilled to be a part
of the World Poker Exchange
and look forward to our new
partnership,” says Isaacs.
“I have been playing poker
since I was a child and am
excited to be associated with
one of the new leaders of
the online gaming trade that
has a consistently recognized
record of credibility within
the trade and superb customer service among players.”
“We are fortunate to
have a player of Susie
Isaacsʼ credibility and talent associated with the
World Poker Exchange,”
says Haden Ware, CEO of
World Poker Exchange.
“Susie is already a legend
in her own right, and we
are well on our way to
being one of the leading
online gaming destinations
in the world. Our tournament play sponsorship of
Susie Isaacs marks the
beginning of a formal proteam recruitment effort we
have initiated, with additional player announcements to follow shortly.”
Isaacs is a professional
tournament poker player who
has won various titles and
placed in the money numerous times throughout her 15year career. She made poker
history when she became
the first woman to win the
World Series of Poker ladies
championship back-to-back
in 1996 and 1997. In 1998,
she placed 10th in the World
Series of Poker $10,000
event vying for the $1 million prize. Isaacs became the
second woman in history to
accomplish such an outstanding finish.
Currently, she is a regular
columnist for Poker Player
newspaper where her popular column “Chip Chatter”
appears.
In the months ahead, Isaac
will be appearing regularly
on two television shows,
“Poker Beat,” which airs
on the 2005
schedule of
Fox Sports
National,
and Final
Table
Challenge.
Pechanga Tournaments Produce Winners
The latest round of big
poker winners at Pechanga
Resort & Casino are celebrating their accomplishments as they vow to come
back to the state-of-the-art,
54-table Poker Room to
defend their titles. At the
end of February, Pechanga
Resort & Casino held its
“Last Chance” and “Big
Showdown” tournaments
and paid out more than
$50,000 in prize pool
winnings.
that day. Miguel Morena
and Creme Bell took second and third place in the
Brandon Morgan
“Big Showdown.”
Earlier that same weekend, nearly the same number of players tried their
hands at the guaranteed
$10,000 No Limit Hold
ʻEm “Last Chance” tournament. One hundred fifty
six contestants gave it their
all for what turned out to
be a more than $13,000
prize pool. Brandon
Morgan from San Dimas,
Paul Kooba
Paul Kooba, a local
Temecula, CA resident,
will be off to Las Vegas
this summer to play in the
World Series of Poker.
By taking on and beating
156 other tough contenders in the Pechanga Poker
Roomʼs “Big Showdown”
tournament, Paul earned
himself a $10,000 buy-in
to the big dance in Sin
City. He also pocketed
$5,660 in winnings from
the Pechanga Poker Room
One of Las Vegas’ most comfortable and elegant
poker rooms also offers poker players the most exciting bonuses.
Hit any qualifying high hand during a bonus round and
receive an additional $50.00.
$1-5 Seven-Card Stud • $4 & 8 Hold ’Em with a 1/2 Kill
• $6 & 12 Hold ’Em with a 1/2 Kill
Monday through Friday $30 and $50 Buy-in Tournaments
(Please check Tournament Schedule)
For Player Room Rates call toll-free 877- 632-7510 or 702- 632-7790.
mandalaybay.com
Pechanga
Jerry Peterson
CA came out ahead of the
pack and won $4,505 for
his hard work fending off
the competition.
Jerry Peterson from Sun
City, CA rounds out the
winnersʼ circle after leading the hands in the $6,000
Guaranteed No Limit Hold
ʻEm “Last Chance” tournament. Jerry took home first
place and $2,895.
Nate Belt Takes
WPX College
Championship
World Poker Exchange
an online poker site,
announced that Nate Belt,
from the University of
Kentucky is the winner of
their Intercollegiate Poker
Championship. Belt competed against five other
regional finalists in a live
March 14 tournament
held in Cancun, Mexico
and hosted by MTV Real
World: Las Vegas star
Trishelle Cannatella. Belt
emerged the victor and
was subsequently named
the “Best College Player
in the Country” by World
Poker Exchange officials.
Finishing in second and
third places were Ryan
Demeter of Vanderbilt
University and Devin
Hanneman of the University
of Utah, respectively.
Belt received the grand
prize, which includes a
$10,000 cash scholarship, a
laptop computer and an all
expense paid five-day trip
to the United Kingdom to
compete in the World Poker
Exchange London Open on
August 3-6, 2005. Nateʼs
free entry into this high
stakes televised competition is worth $10,000. He
will have the opportunity to
share in a minimum prize
pot of $2 million while
playing against some of the
worldʼs top poker players.
Belt is originally from
Bowling Green, KY. He
is currently a freshman
majoring in Biology with a
pre-medicine concentration.
A member of the Kappa
Sigma fraternity, Belt and
his friends play poker once
or twice a week; a ritual
that certainly paid off in
Cancun.
Beat the Pro at the Queen
uled a series of events
beginning on March 26 and
ending on April 3rd.
The Beat the Pro
event on April 2-3
will be televised. The
Pros to beat are L.
Russ Hamilton, Scotty
Nguyen, Antonio
Estfandiari, Robert
Williamson III and
The Mardi Gras Queen Casino Ship Bonnie Damiano. The
The Mardi Gras Queen
Casino Boat out of Tarpon
Springs, Florida has sched-
final event will be a $700
buy-in No Limit Hold ʻem
tournament with a $100,000
guarantee. See the ad on
page 1 for further details.
Sundays, 10 a.m. (sign ups start at 7 a.m.)
$10,000 Guarantee – First Prize $2,000
Plus $1,000 in Cash Drawings,
every half hour, 4 p.m.—midnight
$60 Entry Fee, No Re-buys. Lunch and $20 Poker Coupon included.
140 Seats Maximum.
NOW Every Day! Play NO LIMIT Texas Hold’em
More tournaments every day at 10 a.m. and Tuesdays & Thursdays at 7 p.m.
For more information call 1-800-CHUMASH, ext. 3850 or visit
www.chumashcasino.com for a complete poker schedule.
 E. Hwy , Santa Ynez, CA
Exit  at Solvang, East through Solvang  miles.
Must be 18 or older to enter casino. Chumash Casino Resort
reserves the right to cancel or change promotions.
Nate Belt looks at his
winning hand.
Caro’s Word: “EXPECT”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
ter chance at long-time
survival in poker, if you
take time to think about
what to expect and plan
for the nearly worst case.
Sure, thatʼs simple advice,
but apparently it needs to
be said, because very few
players who could otherwise make a living playing
poker stick to it. I want
you to stick to it. I want
you to realize that poker
is a game of huge fluctuations and to plan for them.
Once you take the time to
sit down by yourself and
think about what to expect,
youʼre on the right path to
profit.
Mike Caro is widely regarded as the worldʼs foremost
authority on poker strategy,
psychology, and statistics. A
renowned player and founder
of Mike Caro University of
Poker, Gaming, and Life
Strategy, he is known as
“the Mad Genius of Poker,”
because of his lively delivery of concepts and latest
research. You can visit him at
www.poker1.com.
APRIL 4, 2005
19
Poker’s Poppin’ ‘n Floppin’ All
Around Reno & Tahoe
NORTH BY NORTHWEST
By Byron Liggett
If a casino had a poker room before,
they’re making it bigger. If they didn’t
have one, they do now. Harrah’s is sending the A-Team to
compete in the World Series of Poker this coming June at
the Rio, in Las Vegas. Harrah’s Major League WSOP Players
come from five tournaments held at five of its finest properties from coast to coast.
Tournament Host for Harrah’s WSOP events, the legendary
Jack Binion, will welcome the Flop Fans, the Big Bats, the
Super Stars and wanna-be-stars. For schedule and details, go
to: worldseriesofpoker.com
April 26 – May 10 the fourth WSOP qualifier will be
held at HARRAH’S LAKE TAHOE. The last event is in New
Orleans. So, you West Coast Hold’em Hitters, this is your
chance to knock a flop out of the park.
The MVP of the Harrah’s Lake Tahoe contest wins a bag of
cash and a place in the WSOP line-up. With more than 5,000
players vying for the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Championship,
everybody dreams of a base-clearing, game winning sweep.
The ELDORADO, that fabulous kingdom of gold in The
Biggest Little City, is going to expand Queen Margie’s Crystal
Palace of Poker. They need more room for the throngs of
Card Conquistadors who come in search of fabulous wealth.
The only question remaining is how big should the Queen’s
new Card Court be? One plan would expand the present jousting area by a few tables. But, also under consideration is a
plan to relocate the games and create a much larger Fiefdom
of Flop for Queen Margie. All the Ladies and Knights of the
Round Table wait while the Wizard weighs the decision.
Doc Newman, Chief of Poker Surgery at JOHN ASCUAGA’S
NUGGET, in Sparks, is getting a new operating room. Grand
opening is scheduled for June 1st. Whether you’re having a
poker emergency or need long term care, Doc’s got all the
latest equipment and a friendly, well trained staff.
From Alabama, Doc got his training dealing poker in
Tuscaloosa when he was 17. “They were all red-necks and
good ol’ boys,” he said, “Everybody had a gun but me. You
didn’t dare make a mistake.”
The SANDS REGENCY recently opened up a small, low
limit Hold’em haven. A card caravan sets off every morning
at 10:00am on a $15 buy-in, 1-hr adventure to see who will be
the Sultan of Flop that day. Runner-up gets 30%.
The Sands poker oasis is especially well located. On
one side of it is the sports book; on the opposite side is a
full service bar and behind it is the cashier’s cage. On the
remaining side of the room are several large-screen TVs.
There’s everything a poker player wants and so close you
never have to miss a hand.
The RENO HILTON “World Poker Challenge” has been a
thoroughly successful knock-down-drag-out fight. It’s been a
Hold’em melee. Everyday the bell rings and the players start
floppin’ n’ droppin’. There’s more action at the WPC than at
the WWF. Here you knock a guy out of the ring, he stays out!
Talk about a ‘reality’ game; it doesn’t get any better or worse
than this.
If you’re wondering where the poker stampede is headed,
they’re going to the WILDHORSE Resort & Casino, in
Pendleton OR, for the “Spring Poker Round-up”, March 23
– April 2. This poker rodeo attracts the whole Hold’em herd.
It’s considered one of the “IN” tournaments because all the
card cowboys ‘n girls have fun.
Byron Liggett grew-up in the Northwest, working as a
journalist and consultant for cardrooms in the early 1970s.
Moving to Nevada in 1984, he became a gaming writer, editor and columnist for major player and trade publications.
He has also acted as a consultant for most major poker
tournaments to produce press & PR materials.
Write him at [email protected]
20
APRIL 4, 2005
asked & answered:
Quizzes from Mike Caro University of Poker
This series is based on the MCU library of research and advice found at Poker1.com. Each issue,
Mike Caro presents 10 new questions covering a category of poker, targeted for beginner, intermediate, or advanced players. Quiz #16 is about Omaha high-low (eight-or-better to qualify for low)
strategy and facts, for intermediate players. (Answers and explanations appear in the next issue.)
Strategy – Omaha,
eight-or-better (level:
intermediate)
1. If a pot is $500 large,
so far you’ve wagered $200,
and now you bet $100 and
are called by one opponent,
which best defines the relationship between winning the
whole pot and winning half
the pot?
a. Winning the whole pot
provides twice the return on
your investment;
b. Your profit will be $400
if you win the whole pot and
only $50 if you win half the
pot;
c. Your profit will be precisely three times as much if
you win the whole pot;
d. It’s impossible to measure profit in Omaha highlow games.
2. How many qualifying
low cards are in the deck?
a. 28;
b. 26 – exactly half the
deck of 52;
c. 32;
d. 20.
3. Which statement is true.
In Omaha high-low, eightor-better to qualify, if the
board contains an eight-high
straight...
a. everyone will tie for
high;
b. everyone has at least an
eight for low;
c. nobody will win high
with a full house;
d. 3-2 is the best possible
low hand;
4. For comparison to
Omaha, how many different
combinations can you use
in hold ’em to find the best
hand, combining your private
cards with the board?
a. 50;
b. 21;
c. 6;
d. 10.
5. How many different
combinations can you use in
Omaha to find the best hand,
combining your private cards
with the board?
a. 20;
b. 90;
c. 8;
d. 60.
6. A-A-3-2 of mixed suits
is a more profitable Omaha
high-low, eight or better
starting hand than 5-4-3-2
of mixed suits...
a. true;
b. false.
7. 5-4-3-2 of two different suits is the second best
Omaha high-low starting
hand, in terms of profit...
a. true;
b. false.
8. Which answer is the
most compelling? Almost
any Omaha high-low, eightor-better starting hand is
worth playing heads up as
the big blind against a late
raiser if...
a. it contains a pair of
nines;
b. it contains three or
more cards of the same suit;
c. it contains an ace;
d. it contains no pair and
any two cards lower than a
nine.
9. If you have no high-
hand hopes and are involved
in a three-way tie for low in
a four-way pot, a final round
call...
a. means you lose a third
of your final wager, but the
call still might be profitable;
b. means you lose fivesixth of your final wager, but
the call still might be profitable;
c. means you break even
on your final wager;
d. means you always make
exactly enough profit to
double the value of the final
call.
10. It’s important to play
two-way hands in Omaha,
eight or better, as often as
possible because...
a. A one-way hand is never
profitable;
b. Opponents don’t know
how to play high hands;
c. You’ll never scoop a pot
going for just high hands;
d. Winning the whole pot
is worth more than twice as
much as winning half the
pot.
WATCH FOR
ANSWERS IN OUR
NEXT ISSUE!
If you do not remember the questions, you will find them on our
web site—Download previous issues at
http://www.pokerplayernewspaper.com/
to last issue’s questions
backissues
answers
Q #1 ANSWER: (a). If everyone
folds to you on the button in
a 10-handed hold ’em game,
expect the hands in the blinds
to be – on average – a little
stronger than usual. That’s
because players who acted
previously were more likely
to have folded low cards than
high ones, making high ranks
more likely in the blinds. I call
this the “bunching factor.”
Q #2 ANSWER: (b). It’s 110to-1 against holding either a
pair of kings or a pair of aces
before the flop in hold ’em. All
the rest of the time you’ll have
a smaller pair or no pair at all.
Q #3 ANSWER: (b). False.
Actually, it’s more likely that
you will start with a pair of
aces before the flop, than with
ace-king suited. There are six
possible pairs of aces – clubsdiamonds, clubs-hearts, clubsspades, diamonds-hearts,
diamonds-spades, and heartsspades. But, obviously, there
are only four possible ace-king
suited combinations – one in
each suit.
Q #4 ANSWER: (c). Without
considering suits, there are
16 cards that can beat you
on the river if you hold 5-5
against A-K with a board of
6-10-6-J. Many players forget
that either a ten or a jack will
beat you, putting two bigger
pair than yours on the board,
meaning your pair of fives is
worthless. The losing cards
are four queens, providing an
opposing straight, three aces,
Only a winner knows
the road to riches
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’ve been called Poker’s Greatest Living Legend, probably because I began winning
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22
APRIL 4, 2005
APRIL 4, 2005
23
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Pechan
A P R I L
TOURNAMENT
NOW HIRING
Experienced Dealers
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SERIES
THURSDAY, APRIL 7
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6:30PM Last Chance No-Limit Hold’em
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DAILY DOUBLE JACKPOTS • Mon. thru Fri. 2-5PM • 1:30-3AM • 4-5AM • 6-9AM
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6:30PM to 9:30PM Stud Double, Omaha Triple and
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10:00AM No-Limit Hold’em Tournament
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7:00PM to Midnight Rack Attack Tuesday
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45000 Pechanga Parkway • I-15 • Temecula • 877.711.2WIN • www.pechanga.com
24
APRIL 4, 2005
Time . Some events H ...... Hold’em
L ................. Limit
N ...........No Limit
7. 7-Card Stud
O .......Omaha
H/L ...... High/Low
C start after the hour
O A, P ........ AM, PM
..............Week
D Wk
gametimes
E & . Add’l
on this day. Call
•Denotes Advertiser
REGION/Cardroom(Ad Pg.)
NV Aladdin
SOUTH •Cannery Casino (p34)
Circus Circus
Club Fortune
Col.Belle-Laughlin
Golden Nugget
Split
Pi ....... Pineapple
Po.........Pot Limit
Pn.......Panginque
S........... Stud
5 ...Five Card
MONDAY
Time Games
10A& N H
10A
NH
11A
L/N H
12P
7P&
11A
7P
Flamingo Laughlin
8A
Horseshoe
2P
•Imperial Palace (p17) 1P
•Mandalay Bay (p18) 10A
6P
•Mirage (p11)
7P
10A
11A
7P
TUESDAY
Buy-in
$30
$25
$40AO$3
Time
10A&
10A
11A
Z
NH
NH
NH
$17 8A
$60RB(1)$40 2P
$40RB$10 7P
$25RB$10AO$10 2P
NH
$25RB(1)$10 7P
NH
$25 12P& L/N H Z
HZ
$30(30M) 10A
NHZ
$60(30M) 6P
L H $130RB$100AO(1)$100 7P
H
NH
NH
Stardust
10A
•Sunset Station (p6) 10A
•Texas Station (p6)
Virgin River Casino
6P
NH
LH
NH
12P& L H Sh
NH
$18 10A
$15RB(1)$15 11A
$120 7P
$25RB$10AO$10 2P
NH
$25RB(1)$10 7P
NH
$25 12P& L/N H Z
$25RB$10AO$10 2P
NH
$25RB(1)$10 7P
NH
$25 12P& L/N H Z
HZ
$30(30M) 10A
NHZ
$60(30M) 6P
Po H $130RB$100AO(1)$100 7P
HZ
NHZ
NH
$30(30M) 10A
$60(30M)
$230RB(1)$200
HZ
H
NH
NH
H
NH
NH
H
NH
$18 10A
$15RB(1)$15 11A
H
NH
$18 10A
$15RB(1)$15 11A
$25RB$10
H
$15 4P
H
$15 10A
H
$15 10A
H
$15
NH
$25 10A
NH
$25 10A
NH
$25 10A
NH
$25 10A
NH
$25
H
NH
$25RB$20
$25AO$10 1P
7P
$15(24M) 9A
NH
LH
NH
$25AO$10
$65 7P
$15(24M) 9A&
$33RB$30
$115RB$100 6P
$15(24M) 9A
8P
NH
NH
LH
$110 6P
$15(24M) 9A
$25RB$20
NH
NH
2P
$110
$25(30M) 9A
6P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$25(30M)
$50
DC
H
NH
H
H
NH
$5RB$5AO$5
$5RB$5AO$10B$5
$15RB$10AO$10
O H/L
10A&
NH
$15RB$10AO$10 10A&
NH
10A
O H/L
$17RB$5AO$5 10A
$35 10A
•Lucky Lady (p28)
Oceans Eleven
10A
LH
•Pechanga (p24) 6P&
Sycuan
10A
Viejas
10A
Village Club
10A
NH
$15
LH
$12
NH
$12B$5
O$30RB$20AO(1)$50B(20)$5
6P&
10A
10A&
10A
$15RB$10 12P
$60 7P&
$30RB$10AO$20 10A
6P&
11A
7P
11P
7P
H
NH
NH
NH
NH
$40 12P
$23AO$2 10A
LH
LH
F
$23AO$2 11A
6P
NH
$20RB$10
$15 10A&
7 Sh
$15 12P&
7P
$10RB$10AO$10 7P&
H
$15RB$10AO$10 10A&
NH
$15RB$10AO$10 10A&
NH
$60 10A
4P
$15RB$10AO$10 10A&
LH
$17RB$5AO$5 10A
6P
NH
NH
$17RB$5AO$5 10A
$20RB(2)$15
LH
$17RB$5AO$5 10A
NH
$35 10A
NH
$55 10A
NH
$35 10A
LH
$15 6P&
NH
$20
NH
$12 10A 7 H/L Sp
$12
O H/L
$12B$5 10A& N H
$12B$5
NH$30RB$20AO(1)$50B(20)$5 10A
O$30RB$20AO(1)$50B(20)$5
$15RB$10 12P
$25RB$20 7P
NH
NH
NH
$27RB(2)$15 10A
NH
•Diamond Jim’s (p34) 6P
O Pi H
$25RB$10 6P
LH
Hawaiian Gardens
12P
•Hollywood Park (p5) 11A
7P
NH
7 H/L
LH
$15RB$10 12P
$17RB$10 11A
$35 7P
O H/L
NH
NH
•Hustler Casino (p13) 7P
Normandie Casino
NH
$14RB$5/$10AO$20 7P&
7P
NH
Pn
S H/L
O H/L
LH
NH
$25
H
F
O
$12B$5
O$30RB$20AO(1)$50B(20)$5
L H $28RB(1)$20AO(1)$20 11A
11A
12P
$15RB$10 12P
$25RB$10 7P
$60RB(1)$50
$27(80M)RB(2)$15 10A
$40
NH
$14RB$5/$10AO$20 10A
7P
7P
$15RB$10 12P
$17RB$10 11A
$35 7P
H
H
NH
$15RB$10 6P
$17RB$10 11A
$35 8P
LH
Sp L H
H
NH
$25 6P LH/L OH/L $50RB$20AO$40 11A
$36RB$20 11A
H
$77 11A
$25RB$20 12P O H/L
$55 6P
LH
H
H
$48
$36RB$20 11A
$10
O
$50RB$20 7P
H
$50
Sp L H
$40RB$40 6P
H
$40RB(1)$40 6P
LH
$40RB$40AO$40 6P
H
$60RB$40
NH Sh
NH
1P
$20
$45RB(1)$40 10A
H Sh
6P
10A
NH
$15 1P
6P
$45RB(1)$40 10A
H Sh
NH Sh
NH
11A
H
H/O H/L
6P
11A
$20RB$20(1) 7P
LH
H
H
6P
H
$10RB$5AO$10
7P
AZ •Apache Gold)
12P
Flop
CO N T ’ D O N PAG E 27
NHB
HB
NH
NH
$25RB$10AO$20
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
$45RB$20AO$20
6P&
11A
7P
11P
7P
Po H
NH
NH
NH
NH
$25RB$10AO$20
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
$45RB$20AO$20
6P&
11A
7P
11P
7P
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
$50RB(1)$20
$60RB(1)$50
$50RB(1)$50
$50RB(1)$50
$25RB$10AO$20
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
$45RB$20AO$20
NH
$23AO$2 11A
NH
$23AO$2 Varies Varies
Varies
L H Sh
NH
$15 10A&
$22RB$10
7 Sh
$15 12P& L H Sh
7P
NH
12P
H
$15
$22RB$10
F RB$20
$10RB$10AO$10 11A
$5RB$5AO$10B$5 4P
$15RB$10AO$10 10A&
$17RB$5AO$5 10A
10A
$35 11A
LH
H
$25 10A
LH
$22 6P&
NH
$12B$5 10A
NH$30RB$20AO(1)$50B(20)$5 10A
HH N H
HH N H
7P
NH
Pn
NH
LH
NH
NH
H
H
NH
LH
$10RB$10AO$10 12P
$5RB$5AO$10B$5 4P
$15RB$10AO$10 10A&
$17RB$5AO$5
O H/L
LH
$22RB$11 10A
$65
LH
$15
NH
$12RB$10AO$10
NH
$25B$5
O$30RB$20AO(1)$50B(20)$5
$20RB$10
$20RB$20
H
$14RB$5/$10AO$20 7P& N H (80M)
$40 1P
Pn
$15 7P
NH
1P
LH
$25RB 6P
$17RB$10 11A
$225RB(1)$200 8P
Mx
7
Po H
3P&
$20RB 7P
6P
12P
7P
12P
8P&
$30RB(2)AO(1)
H
Harrah’s Ak Chin
Hon-Dah Casino
Paradise Casino
$50RB(1)$20
$125RB(1)$100
$50RB(1)$50
$50RB(1)$50
$25
$50 7P
NH
NH
7B
HB
NHB
NH
NH
H
10A
6P&
10A
10A
H
LH
NH
LH
7P
HH L H
$22RB$11
$20
$17
$12B$5
$25RB$20AO$50
$30RB$10
$20RB$10
$27RB(2)$15 12P
$40 1P
$15
LH
Pn
$19RB$5/$10AO$20
$40
$25RB$10 1P
1PWk4
F RB$10
$17RB$10 11A
$330RB(1)$300 4P
NH
NH
$50
$100
LH
N H Sh
$22RB$10
$120
$125RB(1)$100
7P
12P&
12P
11A
10A
6P&
10A&
10A
NH
LH
NH
$20RB$10 6P Wk4LadiesL H
$15RB$10 12P
$17RB$10 11A
$35 7P
10A
6P&
10A&
10A
$15RB(1)$10 12P
$60RB(1)$10 7P
8P
•Club Caribe (p34)
Club One Casino
7P
Commerce Club
•Crystal Park Casino (p27)
12P
7P
12P
8P&
F RB$10
N Cz Pi
NH
NH
$40RB(1)$20
$60RB(1)$40
$50RB(1)$50
$50RB(1)$50
$18
$25RB$10
$15 4P
H
Fort McDowell
Gila River/Wild Horse Pass
Gila River-Vee Quiva
H
NH
H
$10RB$10AO$10 7P&
O H/L
NH
NH
NH
NH
$18 10A
$15RB(1)$15 3P
$15 4P
$22RB$20
$25 10A
5O
6P&
11A
7P
11P
7P
H
NH
H
NH
NH
NH
$25RB$10AO$20
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
$45RB$20AO$20
$18 10A
$15RB(1)$15 11A
N H$330RB$200AO(1)$200
$15 12P& L H Sh
$22RB$10
7P
NH
10A
NH
HZ
S Sh
$30(30M)
7 Sh
NH
$15(24M) 9A&
$25RB$20
O H/L B
NHB
NH
NH
$25
$15 10A&
7P
$15RB$10
NH
NH
12P
7P
12P
8P&
$25RB$10AO$10
$25 12P& L/N H Z
5P
$27RB$10
$27RB$10
$50RB(1)$50
$50RB(1)$50
NH
NH
NH
9A
8P
•Casino Arizona-Scottsdale (p31) 11A
Casino Del Sol
10A
Cliff Castle
6P&
$25 12P& L/N H Z
$17
$60RB(1)$40
$50RB$25
$40 10A
$18AO$2 10A
$32(30M)
F
6P
$25AO$10 1P
Blue Water Casino
Bucky’s Casino
$25RB$10AO$10 2P
Z
NH
NH
$40 10A
NH
$18AO$2 10A L O High
7P& O H/L
$20RB$10 6P
NH
NH
Oaks Card Club
•Palace Indian Casino
Sonoma Joe's
NH
$17 8A
$60RB(1)$40 2P&
1P
NH
$24
Pi Z
$12
L/NL $60RB(1)$40AO$40
N H $125RB$100AO$100
NH
NH
NH
NH
$25RB$10AO$20
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
12P
HB
7P O H/L B
12P
NH
8P&
NH
Z
NH
12P
10A
11A
7P
$25
6P&
11A
7P
11P
1P
$40RB$20
$27RB$10
$50RB(1)$50
$50RB(1)$50
$25RB$10AO$10 2P
NH
$24
Pi Z
$12
L/NL $30RB$20AO(1)$20
$330RB$200AO(1)$200
NH
$25RB$10AO$20
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
Harvey’s Tahoe
Peppermill
Gold Rush
Kelly’s Cardroom
Lucky Chances
$25RB$10AO$10 2P
NH
$25RB(1)$10
$25 12P& L/N H Z
$17 8A
$60RB(1)$40 2P&
$25 10A
7 H/L
NH
NH
NH
NH
6P
Z
NH
12P
10A
11A
7P
NH
6P&
11A
7P
11P
10A&
H
NH
$24
O H/L B $25RB$10AO$20
L/NL $60RB(1)$40AO$40
N H $230RB$200AO$100
HZ
$30(30M) 10A
NHZ
$60(30M) 6P
N H $130RB$100AO(1)$100 7P
$19 10A
$15RB(1)$15 11A
$120RB(1)$100 6P
$25 10A
$40AO$3
Buy-in
$25RB$10AO$20
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
$40RB$20AO$2
$15 4P
6P
$25 10A
7P
NH
L/N H
SUNDAY
Buy-in Time Games
NHB
HB
NH
NH
H
Cache Creek
$17 8A
$60RB(1)$40 2P&
$50RB$25
SATURDAY
Buy-in Time Games
12P
7P
12P
8P&
Pi
California Grand
Casino San Pablo
Garden City
Z
NH
NH
12P
7P&
11A
7P
Games
$27RB$10
$40RB$20
$50RB(1)$50
$50RB(1)$50
7P
11A
12P
NH
$24
7P& O H/L B $25RB$10AO$20
11A
L/NL $60RB(1)$40AO$40
7P
N H $125RB$100AO$100
$17 8A
$60RB(1)$40 2P
$50RB$25 7P
$40RB$20
FRIDAY
Buy-in Time
$30
$25 10A
$40AO$3 11A
HB
NHB
NH
NH
4P
CA Artichoke Joe’s
NORTH Bay 101
THURSDAY
Time Games
10A& N H
10A
NH
11A
L/N H
12P
7P
12P
8P&
Cactus Petes-Jackpot
LH
NH
$17 8A
$60RB(1)$40 2P
$50RB$25 7P
12A
DAILY TOURNAMENTS
Note: All tournaments are subject to change. Check with the Cardroom for any updates.
Cardrooms-please send your schedules to Tournament Editor Joel Gausten,
[email protected]
$27RB$10
$40RB$20
$50RB(1)$50
$50RB(1)$50
Circus Circus
Eldorado
Harrah's Reno
CA •Bicycle Club (p3) 12P
L.A.
7P
Buy-in
$30
$25
$40AO$3
Z
NH
NH
O H/L
NH
NH
NH
INLAND Lake Elsinore
EMPIRE
Time Games
10A& N H
10A
NH
11A
L/N H
Z
NH
NH
River Palms
6P&
•Sahara (p36) 11A
7P
11P
•Sam’s Town (p37)
CA Casino Morongo
SAN Casino Pauma
DIEGO Harrah’s Rincon
&
WEDNESDAY
Buy-in
$30
$25
$40AO$3
NH
$24
H
$110
L/NL $60RB(1)$40AO$40
N H $125RB$100AO(1)$100
12P O H/L B
7P
NHB
•Plaza Casino (p41) 12P
NH
8P&
NH
Reno Hilton
Rainbow Cas. W Wendover
Games
NH
NH
L/N H
#M ..# of players
maximum
RB ......... Re-buys
AO ......... Add Ons
Cz .............. Crazy
E....... Elimination
$24 12P
7PWk1&
L/NL $60RB(1)$40AO$40 11A
N H $125RB$100AO$100 7P
The Orleans
NV Atlantis Casino
NORTH Boomtown
Al ...... Alternates
F .............Freeroll
Z......... Freezeout
Q .............Qualify
Sh .........Shootout
NH
$24 12P
HB
$25RB$10AO$20
L/NL $60RB(1)$40AO$40 11A
N H $125RB$100AO(1)$100 7P
•Jokers Wild (p29) 2P
NH
7P
NH
Luxor
12P& L/N H Z
Nevada Palace
Oasis-Mesquite
Stud
Mx ..Mexican Poker
DC Dealer’s Choice
HH ... Headhunter
B .......... Bounties
Sp ............ Spread
$60 7P
$10RB$5 10A
$15 11A
$13RB$10AO$20 12P&
$25RB$20
$20 11A
$10 6P
H
NH
O H/L Z
H Sh
NH
HB
H Sh F
$15 1P
$20
$45RB(1)$40
H Sh
$15 1P
$60RB$50AO$50
$10RB$5AO$10
$20RB$20(1)
O H/L
H Sh
10A
LH
11A
H
$13RB$10AO$20 12P&
$15+$5 11A
7P&
F 6P
F 5P
NH
$30RBAO
$99 11A
Sp L H
6P
$70RB(1)$60 11A
NH
H
$49RB$20AO$40
$70RB(1)$60
2P
10A
7P
H
NH
Sp L H
$50 2P
$25RB(1)$20 10A
$120RB(1)$100 7P
H
NH
H
$50
$25RB(1)$20
$60RB$40
$15 1P
5P
$55 10A
H Sh
NF
LH
$15
F 6P
$65 12P
NH Sh
NH
$20
$25RB(1)$100
12P
Varies
LH
$65RB(2)$50
6P
$25RB$15 7P
7P
O H/L
HB
$20
$25
$130 11A
$10RB$5 10A
$30 11A
NH
NHZ
H Sh
$60 11A
$10RB$5 10A
$15 11A
12P
NH
Cz Pi Z
O H/L
NH
HB
O H/L
H
$65RB$50AO$50 1P
$10RB$5AO$10
$25RB$5AO$25
$130 7P
$10RB$5 10A
$15 6P&
Pai Gow
$13RB$10AO$20 12P& N H
$13RB$10AO$20 12P&
12P Men H/N A I$25RB$10AO(1)$20
$15+$5 11A
HB
$15+$5
$25RB$15 7P&Ladies H Cz Pi
$10 6P
O H/L
$20RB(2)$10 1P
$25
NH
Pi
H Sh
NH
H
3P
2P
$25RB$10AO$30 1P
$60 4thWk10AN H
$10RB$5
$15
$13RB$10AO$20 12P&
12P
NH
$25RB$15AO(1)$10 12P
3P
1P
NOW! Get Tournament Listings at our website: www.pokerplayernewspaper.com
RB$10
H
O H/L
7F
$20RB$10
$25
H Sh
$15
NH
$13RB$10AO$20
HB
$15+$5
$150
11A
$13RB$10AO$20 12P&
11A
NH
O H/L F
H
H
O H/L
APRIL 4, 2005
$25RB$15 12P
$10
$13 1P
H
$40
H
$13
25
Savor the Moment
SENIORS SCENE
By George “The engineer” EPSTEIN
The heavy rains had blown over, and the
evening air was crisp and refreshing. I
decided to visit the old Normandie Casino in Gardena,
Calif. One of the students in my poker class at the Claude
Pepper Sr. Citizen Center claimed it was a great place to
play low/middle-limit hold’em.
Sizing Up My Opponents and Using the Hold’em
Algorithm: Early in the game, I spotted one PokerShark at
my table; and there was one really deceptive player. I was
prepared. Whenever the PokerShark called, I knew he had
a good starting hand; I called his raise only when I held an
especially strong hand. Generally, it was better to discard
marginal drawing hands against his raise. ( I suspect he
had me sized up too, because he rarely played in hands
that I had entered before him.) And I was cautious about
betting into the deceptive player. Fortunately he was two
seats to my right, so he usually declared before it was my
turn. On one occasion, I used his raise to reraise and force
out opponents yet to declare when I held pocket queens.
Religiously abiding by the tenets of my hold’em algorithm
(I told you about that in my last column), and enjoying my
share of mazel (good luck), I soon was well ahead. At that
point, it was time for a leisurely dinner which I enjoyed while
reading the latest issue of Poker Player. (First I read my
own column; I admit that I enjoy my writings. Then I read
Mike Caro’s feature column. He always has good advice.
The more I learn, the better I can play poker. And there are
several other great writers with helpful advice.)
Back to the game after dinner, I sat out a few hands
– carefully observing the play – until the blind got to me.
The same players were still there. I was able to continue
my winning ways; and my stacks of chips continued to
grow. (My student was right on: This was a good place for
me to play hold’em – at least tonight.) When I had almost
tripled my buy-in, I decided it was time to take a brisk
walk and enjoy the clear, refreshing night air. As I walked
down Rosecranz Blvd., I reviewed the game and promised
myself to start using my money management system when
I returned to the game.
Using Money Management: There were two new players; and the deceptive player had left the game (probably went broke). Carefully. I neatly stacked my chips
high, and moved one large stack to the right of the others
– which I call my “assets.” The lone stack to the right of
my “assets” was to be my “play” money for the rest of the
evening. I continued to have my fair share of mazel and,
of course, used the hold’em algorithm. My stacks grew
higher, as I added to my “assets” and restored my “play”
money stack whenever I took a pot.
Then the cards turned cold for me – as is often the case.
My “play” money stack shrunk and disappeared. When
the blind reached me, I stacked my chips in racks and said
to the dealer: “Deal me out.” I got up from the table and
wished my opponents a good evening and good luck. Time
to go home. . .
It always feels so good to go home a winner. Savor the
moment. . .
. . . So readers, what’s YOUR opinion?
George “The Engineer” Epstein is the author of “The
Greatest Book of Poker for Winners!” A retired engineer
who received many industry and government awards and
commendations, he continues to be active by consulting,
editing an international technical newsletter, teaching an
engineering course at UCLA, and serving as an officer
in a professional engineering society. One engineering
society has a scholarship in George’s honor. In writing his
poker book, he applied the lessons learned while working
as an engineer to solve problems. He is currently writing
his next book on The Four Rules for Success in Life and
Living. He can be reached by e-mail: [email protected]
26
APRIL 4, 2005
Howard Bayard Swope
Press, Politics and Poker
by Byron Liggett
He was a major player on
the American landscape
during the first half of the
20th Century. He ran with
the powerful, the rich, the
famous, and the notorious.
He knew everyone who was
anyone – and everybody
knew Herbert Bayard Swope.
Swope was born in 1882
and grew up in New York
City. He found his friends
among the pool players,
horse bettors, and gambling
halls of Big City America.
His first job was cashier at a
race track.
When he got a job as a
newspaper reporter, young
Swope had found his calling. He reveled in the fast
paced, get it first and get it
right journalism characteristic
of the intensely competitive newspaper business. He
would be center stage and
the leading actor during the
Golden Age of Newspapers.
In an era when newspapermen became national celebrities, Herbert Swope was a
Super Star.
Intensely competitive, creative and aggressive, Swope
made a name for himself as
a reporter who always found
a way to get the inside story.
One of his legendary successes came at the signing of
the Versailles Peace Treaty
ending WWI.
Only a few reporters
selected by lottery were
chosen to cover the story
and they were not permitted
on the premises where the
dignitaries met. Although not
selected, Swope wouldnʼt be
denied. Along with the other
dignitaries, Swope arrived in
a black limousine. Dressed
in diplomatic striped pants,
spats, top hat and tails, he
was ushered in with the other
heads of state and reported
the only first hand account of
the ceremonies.
Swope spent much of
his career at the New York
World, the cityʼs foremost
newspaper up to WW II. As
a reporter and later editor,
he earned several Pulitzer
Prizes, the highest honor in
journalism.
He became wealthy largely
through investment advice
from the barons of business
and captains of industry who
were his friends and often
his gambling buddies. As
newspaper man or gambler,
Herbert Swope had a passion
for action.
He got fired from one
newspaper as a young
reporter because he got in a
crap game with two dollars
and didnʼt return to work for
days. When he finally left the
game, heʼd won over $6,000!
As he grew wealthy, his
gambling grew too. A poker
player, he found himself
playing for serious money
with friends like oil magnate
Harry Sinclair or movie
mogul Samuel Goldwyn.
A careful record keeper,
Swopeʼs notes reveal that for
the year 1922 he was in the
black $186,758. Considering
Goldwyn lost over $300,000
in two nights, Swopeʼs win
was modest.
The biggest poker game
Swope ever played in was
in Palm Beach in 1923. A
four man game, it included
Joshua Cosden, oil baron,
Florenz Ziegfield, of Follies
fame, steel man J. Leonard
Replogle, and Swope.
In order not to be disturbed, the game was held in
Cosdenʼs personal railroad
car and lasted two days.
When it was over, Cosden
had lost $443,100, Ziegfield
was out $294,300, Replogle
won $267,100 and Swope,
the big winner, walked away
with $470,300.
He loved horse races,
won and lost thousands of
dollars at the track. Late in
life Swope was appointed
to the New York Racing
Commission. He did much to
clean up the sport and was an
early proponent of off-track
betting.
Once, when he was
depressed over a long losing
streak at the track, Swope
considered cutting back.
His wife, best friend and
playmate, Margaret understood that for Swope it was
the thrill of the high stakes
more than the winning which
attracted him. Exasperated,
she declared, “For Godʼs sake
Herb, if youʼre going to bet,
bet big. I donʼt care if we end
up in the gutter. I canʼt stand
the thought of you placing a
$5 bet! Not you.”
In addition to playing
poker and betting horses,
Swopeʼs other great passion
was croquet. Of course, the
game he and friends played
was not the common backyard variety. It was combat
croquet.
Swope was crazy for
croquet for the same reason
he loved poker, “The game
gives release to all the evil in
you,” he once explained, “It
makes you want to cheat and
kill... itʼs a good game.”
Swope had his Long Island
estate landscaped to include
one of the best courses in the
country, complete with obstacles, sand traps and lighting
for night games. They played
with no boundaries; everything outside the course was
considered the rough. The
mallets were made of white
ash and carefully balanced.
One of Swopeʼs regulars, Harpo Marx, took the
game so seriously he built a
climate-controlled room in
his house just for his mallets. Movie mogul Darryl F.
Zanuck was known as “the
terrible tempered Mr. Bang”
for his style of play. Although
betting was always part of
any competition, Swope
limited himself to $1,000 a
croquet game so the money
wouldnʼt be enough to get in
the way of the fun.
Herbert Bayard Swope
died in 1958. A confidante
to every President from
Woodrow Wilson to Harry
Truman, he was a friend of
all the leading figures of his
era, industrialists, movie
stars, artists, and literary figures; men of means and men
of minds.
With his passing, America
lost a great newspaper man
and a legendary gambler.
Near the end, looking back
on his life of gambling, he
concluded, “I think Iʼve just
about broken even. But Iʼve
had a hell of a lot of fun
doing it.”
e-mail: [email protected]
Time . Some events Wk ..............Week H ...... Hold’em 7. 7-Card Stud Pi ....... Pineapple S........... Stud DC Dealer’s Choice Sp ............ Spread Z......... Freezeout #M # of players max DAILY TOURNAMENTS
(CONT’D FROM PAGE 25)
start after the hour & . Add’l gametimes L ................. Limit O .......Omaha Po.........Pot Limit 5 Five Card Stud HH ... Headhunter Al ...... Alternates Q .............Qualify RB ......... Re-buys
A, P ........ AM, PM
on this day. Call N ...........No Limit H/L High/Low Split Pn.......Panginque Mx ..Mexican Poker B .......... Bounties F .............Freeroll Sh .........Shootout AO ......... Add Ons Cz .............. Crazy E....... Elimination
● Denotes Advertiser
REGION/Cardroom(Ad Pg.)
MONDAY
Time Games
CO Midnight Rose
Ute Mountain
CT Foxwoods
FL Dania Jai-Alai
Derby Lane
Palm Beach Kennel Club
Palm Beach Princess
Pompano Park Casino
Seminole Hollywood Casino
St Tropez Cruise
IA Catfish Bend
Isle of Capri
Winn-A-Vegas
TUESDAY
Buy-in Time Games
12P
H
7P
$10 12P
6P
LH
$100 6P
NH
NH
H
6P
$45 6P
$45 6P
NH
LO H/L
H
$55 6P
1P
12P
6P
H
12P
8P
NH
O H/L
7P
10A
NH
DC
$75 6P
$70RB$30AO$50
$20RB$20M24
$10RB$10 6P
WEDNESDAY
Buy-in Time Games
NH
S
$40 7P
$10 12P
$150
H
O H/L
NH
$45
$45 1P
$45 12P
6P&
NH
$25RB$5AO 6P&
LA Grand Coushatta
MI Chip-In's Island
Gold Strike Casino Resort
6P
4A,6P& LH
7
Fortune Bay Casino
Northern Light Casino Hotel
Shooting Star Casino
6P
NH
$55AO$(1)$5 6P
12P
NH
$25 12P
Grand Casino(Biloxi)
Grand Casino(Gulfport)
12P
H/O
Grand Casino(Tunica)
12P
Pearl River Resort
5P
NH
$20 7P
$10
Buy-in Time Games
NH
12P
7P
NH
NJ Tropicana
7P
6P
NH
NH
$30RBAO 7P
$120 6P
NM Cities of Gold
6P
7P&
11A
NH
NH
F RB(1)$15AO$100 6P
$20RB$20 2P
$25 30M 11A
7P
NY Turning Stone
1P
H
Dakota Magic
7P
S
F RB$10 7P
OR Chinook Winds Casino
4P
H
$25RB(1)$5AO(1)$5 4P
6P
Wildhorse Casino Resort
SD Dakota Sioux
6P
Gold Dust Casino, Deadwood
Rosebud Casino
7P
S H/L
NH
12P& N H Sh
$75 12P& N H
N H Sh
NH
L/N H
7P
N H/O
$10RB$10AO$10
NH
$150
NH
$10RB$10AO 7P&
$45
$65 6P&
$70RB$30AO$50
10A
NH
$40RB$20AO 12P
NH
Buy-in
NH
S
$50
$10
NH
NH
$45
$45
$45
$130RB$20
$20RB$20M24
$100 10A
F RB$15AO$15/$30
6P
Pi
$35RB$15AO$25 4A,6P& LH/NH
Varies
$10RB$5 6P
$35RB$15AO$25 11A
NH
LH/NH
$30RB$20 6P
$35RB$15AO$25 11A
NHZ
$25 12P
NH
7
$25Z 4P
Pi
$25Z 5P
12P
H
$5RB$15 12P
NHZ
$80 50M 12P
12P
$25 2P
NHZ
H
N H $60RB(1)$40 50M 12P
L H B $80RB(1)$40 50M
N H $20RB$15AO$25/$50
7
NH
$30RBAO 7P
$65 6P
NH
NH
$40RBAO 7P
$65 6P
Cz Pi
H
NH
Varies
$20RB(1)$10 6P
$15RB(1)$15 7P&
$25 30M 11A
$35
H
NH
NH
$25 6P
$20RB(1)$20 2P
$25 30M 11A
H
$35RB$10 7P
NH
$50RB$20 1P
NH
7P
$30RB$10 7P
7
S H/L
O H/L $25RB(1)$5AO(1)$5 4P
H
$18RB$10
NH
$10RB$5 7P
F RB$10 7P
$25RB$5AO$10 4P
6P
$110 7P
$10RB$10AO$10
$10RB$10 10A
NH
$10RB$10
12P
Varies
NH
LH/NH
Varies
NH
LH
$25RB$10
$35RB$15AO$25
$12
$120
LH
NHZ
10A
H Sh
12P Wk1 N H
5PWk4LadiesN H
$25AO(1)$5
F$5RB(2)$5AO$5 12P
NH
$10RB$10AO$10 12P
7
$25 12P
NH
$50RB$10AO$10 12P
$25RB$10 3P
$35RB$15AO$25 2P
$10RB(3)$5AO$5
$30RB$10AO$10
$50Z
HB
NH
$95
$15RB$15
1P
N H $40RB$10AO$25 50M 11A
NHB
2P
N H Sh
7P
NH
$30RBAO 4P
$120 6P
NH
NH
LH
NH
O H/L $20RB(1)$10AO$50 6P
H
$15RB(1)$15 7P&
NH
$25 30M 11A
S H/L
$130AO$50 50M 11A
$10RB$5 7P
$25 7P
Tahoe H/L $25RB(1)$5AO(1)$5 4P
N H $33RB(2)$15AO$15
H
NH
$130 70M 2P
NH
2P Wk2 N H
NH
$15RB$10
$90AO$25 70M
$130 70M
$60RBAO 12P
$225 6P&
$30RB$10AO$10
NH
NH
$65RBAO 12P
$340 6P
H $30RB(1)$20AO$200 5P
N H $50RB(2)$25AO(1)$35 2P
NH
$25 30M 7P
H
H
NH
$20RB$10 5P
$15RB(1)$15 2P
$18 30M 11A
12P
11A
NH
$25RB$5
$10RB$5 2P
2P
H
NH
$20RB$10
$30RB$10 3P
H
NH
H
S
$35
$30RB$10AO$10 7P
$25RB$5
O H/L
H/L Sp Z
6P
$35 7P(1st Wk) H
N H/O
$40RB$20 1P
$35RB$15AO$25 11A
$25AO$(1)$5
$25 12P
NH
2P
NH
LH/NH
Varies
NH
H
NH
12P
$300 6P
8P
$10RB$5
7P
6P
$45 1P
NH
$30RB$10AO$10
$25RB$5 7P&
NH
NH
$25AO$(1)$5 6P
ND 4 Bears Casino
$45 1P
$45
$45 1P
$45
11A
7P
S
$100
1P
$40 12P
$15RB$10
NE Rosebud Casino
$10 12P
NH
$20RB$20M24
Buy-in Time Games
S H/L
NH
NH
H
NH
Buy-in Time Games
SUNDAY
12P
$10 12P
6P
$45 6P
$45 6P
$55
$45
$65RB$10 6P&
SATURDAY
$60
10A
7P
7P
N H $40RB$10AO$25 50M 12P
7P
N H $20RB$15AO$25/$50 7P
WA Blue Mountain Casino
H
N H Sh
NH
Buy-in Time Games
FRIDAY
$15RB$5AO$10
$20RB$10AO$10
MS Copa Casino
Isleta Casino & Resort
Route 66 Casino
•Sandia Casino (p4)
H
$35RB$15AO$25 4A,6P& NH
MN •Canterbury Park (p8) 10A
Trump Taj Mahal
NH
NH
H
$55 6P
12P
$70RB$10 6P
IL Hollywood Casino-Aurora
KS Harrah’s Prarie Band
NH
S
THURSDAY
$25RB(1)$5AO(1)$5
S H/L
$10RB$5 4P
O H/L
$50
$30RB$10AO$10
7P
NH
NH
NH
O H/L
H
NH
Varies
H
$55RBAO
$120
$20RB(1)$10
$15RB(1)$15
$25 30M
$35
F RB$10
4P
1P
NH
H
$25RB$5AO$50
$18RB$10
$10RB$5 4P
2P
$30RB$10AO$10 6P
V
H
NH
$20RB$10
$40
$30RB$10AO$10
Chips Bremerton
Chips La Center
1P
9A
12P
N O H/L
NH
NH
$20RB(1)$10 1P
$20 9A
$20 12P
NH
NH
NH
$20RB(1)$10 1P
$20 9A
$20 12P
NH
NH
NH
$20RB(1)$10 1P
$20 9A
$20 12P
N O H/L
NH
NH
$20RB(1)$10 1P
$20 9A
$20 12P
NH
NH
NH
$20RB(1)$10 1P
$20 9A
$20 12P
N O H/L
NH
NH
$20RB(1)$10 1P
$20 9A
$20 12P
NH
NH
NH
$20RB(1)$10
$20
$20
Chips Lakewood
Chips Tukwila
Goldie’s
9A
4P
11A
NH
NH
NH
$20 9A
$20 4P
$13RB(1)$10 11A
NH
NH
NH
$20 9A
$20 4P
$13RB(1)$10 11A
NH
NH
NH
$20 9A
$20 4P
$13RB(1)$10 11A
NH
NH
NH
$20 9A
$20 4P
$13RB(1)$10 11A
NH
NH
NH
$20 9A
$20 4P
$13RB(1)$10 11A
NH
NH
NH
$20 9A
$20 4P
$13RB(1)$10 11A
NH
NH
NH
$20
$20
$28RB(2)$10
Little Creek Casino
Northern Quest
Suquamash Clearwater Cas
Wild Grizzly
7P
10A
11A
5P
LO
NH
NH
NH
$15RB(2)$10
$25RB(2)$10
$20
$13RB$10
7P
10A
11A
5P
L/N H
NH
NH
NH
$25
$25RB(2)$10 10A
$20 11A
$13RB$10 5P
NH
NH
NH
7P
$25RB(2)$10 10A
$20 11A
$13RB$10 5P
NH
NH
NH
NH
$45
$25RB(2)$10 10A
$20 11A
$13RB$10
NH
NH
5P
$15RB(2)$10 10A&
$20 11A
2P
NB
NH
NH
NH
$35
F RB(2)$15 10A
$20
$25RB$20
NH
$25RB(2)$10
8P
V
CAN Casino Regina
$25RB$20AO$20
Debbie Burkhead interviews Allen Karol
DB: Are you planning a grand
opening?
AK: No, we are doing more
of a soft opening. We want
to make sure that we are able
to provide “maximum” guest
service from the moment we
open our doors.
DB: You mentioned that your
computer is tournament ready,
does that mean you are planning on running daily or major
tournaments?
AK: Not until the room is
open for a while and we take a
look at the business levels. We
will then determine what we
want to do as far as daily tournaments. As for major tournaments, yes, we will definitely
become a major player in the
tournament scene in the future.
ing
Start th!
pril 6
A
WED
No-LimNESDAYS
it H
$12 Buy-in +$3 Entry • $10 Rebuys
old’em
FR
No-Lim IDAYS
it Hold
’em
SATUR
No-Lim DAYS
it Hold
’em
Startin
g at 7:0
0 PM
Alameda Blvd.
DB: How will the MGM
Grand poker room differ
from others?
AK: We have a food comp
policy that we believe is
fair for all and we will offer
table-side, in room dining,
24/7. We have computer-
ized list management and a
tracking system with four
50” plasma screens that will
project the waiting list of
games. This will alleviate
any questions of where you
stand on the wait list. When
you are seated you will
swipe in with your playerʼs
card at the table, and once
in the system, you will earn
food comp value for hours
played. This system is also
fully tournament ready.
The room also has six 42”
plasma screens that will
air sporting events. All our
tables will have automatic
shufflers. We will be surrounded not only by our new
Race & Sports Book but we
are only steps away from our
new Centrifuge Bar.
E
BLUE LIN
play. We have set structures
for no-limit holdʼem ranging from a beginnerʼs game
with $1-$2 blinds all the
way up to $25-$50 blinds.
We will also spread Omaha
High or High/Low starting
at $5-$10 blinds; Seven-card
Stud High and High/Low
with limits starting at $2-$10
ranging to $200-$400; and
we are prepared to spread
Razz as well as Pot-limit
Holdʼem or Omaha games.
123 E. Artesia Blvd., Compton, CA 90220
(310) 631-3838 ♠ www.crystalparkcasino.com
h
A P R I L 4 , 2i 0 0 5
f E R P Li AY
f ER
i
PfO K
27
Never Call as a Big Dog or
as a Small Favorite!
asked & answered:
NEVER PLAY Poker with
a man CALLed “DOC”
three kings, three tens, and
three jacks.
By Dr. Scott Aigner, M.D.
Q #5 ANSWER: (d). In hold
’em, ace-king is often called
“big slick.”
I first heard this saying from T.J.
Cloutier. After a few confrontations with small pairs
the reason this saying holds true became clear.
Small pocket pairs are a slight favorite over two
over cards but they are big dogs to over pairs. In
no limit hold em tournaments there are a lot of
all in confrontations between a pair vs. two over
cards because of the stack size to blind ratio. Barry
Greenstein went twenty out of twenty in coin toss
situations when he won the 2004 World Poker Open
$10,200 buy in WPT championship. Johnny Chan
won twelve out of twelve at the final table when he
won the 10k WSOP championship in 1987. Obviously
there has to be times when playing those small
favorites are imperative to your survival. So when
should you race in a heads up situation and when
should you let those small pairs go? Below are several small pair situations and a few variables to help
guide you.
1. You raised and an opponent reraises all in which
is double your raise. This is a coin toss if your opponent has two suited over cards. You are receiving
3 to 1 odds to call. An under pair is anywhere from
4.18 to a 4.5 under dog to an over pair (depending
on suits). If you call you are not risking any more
chips. With a small stack yourself, you are going to
have to play as you committed yourself when you
made the raise. The toughest decision is if you will
be crippled should you lose. A Medium stack limits
your ability to play the smaller pairs just for this
reason.
2. Your opponent is short stacked and desperate. He has the blinds coming up quickly and has to
make a move. I am willing to call with a small pocket
pair from the blinds. With money already in the pot,
I am receiving a fair price to play. I also will call with
an ace type hand which might be a 3 to 2 favorite.
The concern with this type of hand is that your
opponent has a bigger ace. Knowing your opponent
as well as the odds you are receiving are important
considerations. Against a bigger ace or a pair higher
than my kicker, I will be a 3 to 1 dog. A call that will
give me these odds is often worth while especially
if elimination of the opponent will move me up the
money ladder. It also is helpful to have a wheel card
or to be suited when contemplating this call. One
has to be careful here as doubling up an opponent
might not be worth the risk if you are a medium
stack. With a small stack myself, I might have to
take the chance, especially when I am the big blind.
In addition, short handed tables allow one to play
smaller pairs preflop from an earlier position. With
a big chip stack your raises will be respected as
your opponents are afraid of elimination. If I face
a reraise by an opponent who can cripple me I will
fold those smaller pair even if I had raised. The key
to getting to the top three is to play your position,
opponents, and stack sizes. There is no need to risk
elimination when there are players who are short
stacked. Next time you have a small pair remember
that you want to avoid playing a hand that is a small
favorite or a big dog especially when you don’t have
money already in the pot.
Dr Aigner is a board certified Urologist. He has multiple final table finishes in major tournaments including a WPO bracelet in 2001. You can contact him at
http://www.PokerStrategyForum.com
28
APRIL 4, 2005
C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E
Q #6 ANSWER: (d). Doyle
Brunson held 10-2 on his
final hand of both tournaments when he won the
World Series of Poker backto-back in 1976 and 1977.
Q #7 ANSWER: (a). It’s true
that the more players that
are in the pot, the more
willing you should be to play
small “suited connectors,”
such as 8-7 of hearts.
Q #8 ANSWER: (a). If you
hold two pair after the flop,
it’s 5-to-1 (more precisely
4.97-to-1) against making a
full house if you stay to the
showdown. (This includes
all full houses, even those
that are less favorable to
you, such as your 8-7 with
a board of K-8-7-K-K or 6-6
with a board of 8-8-J-8-A.)
Q #9 ANSWER: (a). If you
20
start without a pair, it’s 2to-1 against making a pair
or better on the flop. (More
precisely, it’s 2.08-to-1
against pairing at least one
of your cards on the flop.
And, obviously, if you start
with closely ranked cards or
suited cards, your chances
of flopping a straight or flush
become a slight factor, also.)
Q #10 ANSWER: (c). In hold
’em – as in all other poker
forms – the bigger a pot
becomes, the more willing
you should be to call.
PART 44,
Hindsight
improving performance
Results
By TOM “TIME” LEONARD
We always think of hindsight as being
20-20 relating to the clarity of our
vision after the fact. However, I think many times one’s
hindsight can be very cloudy and not exactly 20-20.
Hindsight or retrospection can be very helpful for us to
improve our play at the tables. Instead of complaining
and, for that matter, boring your opponents and friends
about the bad beats you have suffered, use your hindsight to learn and improve. Or, put another way….don’t
rue it----use it! Replaying hands away from the tale to
objectively analyze the quality of your play is an important step to becoming a stronger player. Using your hindsight honestly and objectively away from the table should
lead to better foresight at the tables. That in turn should
lead to bigger and more frequent winning sessions If this
is true, and it most assuredly is, then using our hindsight
in this manner is something we should embrace and continually hone.
It’s been said that poker players can recall with amazing clarity the bad beats they have suffered. That clarity is usually skewed by the pain experienced when your
opponent hits an unlikely hand and winds up prevailing.
Don’t use the clarity of your recall to rue hands that
have wound up biting you on your posterior but rather
to analyze if you played the hand properly or not. Did
your opponent truly hit a fluke or should you have seen
it coming? Were there telltale signs or have you let arrogance sneak into your game and cloud your thinking?
I’ve heard players bemoan an alleged bad beat when they
were behind all the way and on occasion even drawing
dead. Well, guess the news……that ain’t a bad beat! They
deserved to lose extra bets because their heads weren’t
in the game. You need to pay careful attention when
engaged on the battlefield of green felt for two important
reasons. First, if you’re not paying attention you just
may become grist for someone’s mill. Secondly, paying
attention to details will make your analysis away from the
table more accurate and therefore more meaningful to
help you become a stronger player If you’re not paying
close attention, then how can you reconstruct situations
in retrospect, analyze your actions and determine if you
made the proper play? This is the kind of objective hindsight that will lead to better foresight. I’m always amazed
at the players who are reading papers or intently watching TV only to interrupt those “important” activities to
glance at their fresh hand to determine if they will play
or not. Is that winning poker? I think not! These players also provide valuable information as to their level of
interest in a freshly dealt hand. They are normally tight
players who only play premium hands. If all of a sudden,
after glancing down at a new hand, one of these players
puts down his paper and begins paying attention…..watch
out! Don’t you be one of these transparent weak/tight
losers. Pay attention at all times, it will pay dividends
both now and for your analysis away from the table.
Then our goal for today’s session is obvious, we must
keep our heads in the game at all times. Not only to play
stronger poker during that session but to more accurately recall hands away from the table for analysis. Analysis
that should help you become a stronger player. A double
play approach to increase your earnings during today’s
session and also in future sessions.
See you next “TIME”.
No stranger to the green felt, Tom “Time” Leonard has played
poker for more than 30 years and has been a serious student of
the game and writer on the subject since 1994. He has regularly
played the cardrooms of Atlantic City, Las Vegas and California.
His experience as a sales and marketing professional have
helped him hone his skills at “selling” a hand and “buying” a
pot. Tom can be contacted at: [email protected].
LAKE ELSINORE HOTEL & CASINO
3/6/05
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $0 + $5
PLAYERS 158
REBUYS 228
ADD-ONS 221
GUARANTEED
$3,000
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Bob Shuman . . . . . . . $1,660
Wendel Bustai . . . . . . . .$820
N/A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$440
Mike Gonzales . . . . . . . .$350
Jordon Grasmick. . . . . .$300
Matt McNally. . . . . . . . .$260
Billy Watkins . . . . . . . . .$220
Marty Hicks . . . . . . . . . .$180
Doc Albert . . . . . . . . . . .$135
WE ARE YOUR PLACE TO PLAY POKER TOURNAMENTS!
DAILY AT 11:00 A.M.
$25 No Limit Hold’em Tournament
DAILY AT 2:00 P.M.
$25 No Limit Hold’em Tournament.
ONE $10 Rebuy
$250 GUARANTEED TO FIRST PLACE
SUNDAY – THURSDAY AT 7:00 P.M.
$25 No Limit Hold’em Tournament with One $10 Rebuy
Rules and structure sheets are available in the poker room. Management reserves
all rights to change or alter these promotions at any time.
3/5/05
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $55 + $10
PLAYERS 187
REBUYS 83
GUARANTEED
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
$10,000
Jay Aponte . . . . . . . . . $3,600
Ruben Vera . . . . . . . . $1,800
Richard Potenberry . . .$940
Justin Ford . . . . . . . . . . .$760
Chris Compton . . . . . . .$660
Donavan Simpson . . . . .$580
Steven Barnard . . . . . . .$470
Bob Graves. . . . . . . . . . .$380
Josh Walno . . . . . . . . . . .$285
PA L M S
P O K E R
R O O M
P R E S E N T S
3/4/05
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $60 + $15
PLAYERS 129
REBUYS 191
PRIZE
POOL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
$16,740
Troy Simington . . . . . $3,600
Ken Beard . . . . . . . . . $1,800
Anthony Hamilton. . . . .$940
Josh Lusbyangvick . . . .$760
Don Willis . . . . . . . . . . . .$660
Jeff Francisco. . . . . . . . .$900
Jacqueline Bundy . . . . .$740
Mercy Bates . . . . . . . . . .$600
Phil Sandoval . . . . . . . . .$440
Sunday & Monday Nights
Hourly Drawings for
Stacks of Casino Chips!
Average Giveaways
$1,200 Per Night!
And Join Us In The Poker Room For
3/3/05
OMAHA HI-LO SPLIT
BUY-IN $35 + $5
PLAYERS 187
REBUYS 83
PRIZE
POOL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
$5,120
Mr. Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,600
John Halias . . . . . . . . $1,800
Connie Christensen . . . .$940
Steve Footlik . . . . . . . . .$760
Gottfried Besenbruch . .$660
Steve Karoly. . . . . . . . . .$310
Sal Sanchez . . . . . . . . . .$255
Bill Gibons . . . . . . . . . . .$205
Willy Valencia . . . . . . . .$155
See the Palms Poker Room for complete rules. Must be 21. Management reserves all rights.
4321 West Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV 89103
702.942.7777 • www.palms.com
© 2005 Fiesta Palms LLC. All Rights Reserved.
APRIL 4, 2005
29
Perks and Picks
In a recent column we mentioned the opening of
the new card room at the Route 66 Casino in
Albuquerque, New Mexico. They have now added an
exciting daily poker room tournament schedule. At
11:00 a.m., Sunday through Friday, Route
66 Casino’s poker room hosts its no limit
Texas Hold’Em tournament. The buy-in
The Bargain Bin
By H. Scot Krause
is $25. Each player receives $1,000 in
tournament chips (no re-buys). The tournament is
played for one hour with a maximum of 30 players.
The tournament winner is determined at the end of
the event or by the chip position (highest chip count).
At noon each Saturday and 7:00 p.m. on
Wednesdays, the casino hosts a no limit Texas Hold’Em
event. The buy- in is $18. This tournament includes
four “heats” and the top two finishers from each will
advance to the final table. Two wild-card players will
complete the final table. Each “heat” will have a maximum of 30 players. Qualifying heats begin each hour.
Route 66 Casino’s poker room will also host the
“Every Day All Day Long On Demand No Limit Texas
Hold’Em Tournaments.” The buy-ins range between $10
and $250. Tournament availability is based on demand
and each player will receive $1,000 in tournament chips
(no re-buys). Each tournament will last one hour. The
tournament winner is determined at the end of the
event or by the chip position (highest chip count).
In addition, Route 66 Casino offers the Royal Flush
Progressive promotion. A jackpot pool will be posted
for royal flushes in each of the four suits. Each pool
starts at $50 and $50 will be added every day. When
a player is dealt a royal flush, he will receive the pool
that corresponds with the suit.
The news from way up North includes a new poker
room at Casino Windsor. In response to the game’s
growing popularity, workers put the finishing touches
on Poker Place, a 3,000-square-foot room that opened
in late February and has 10 poker tables offering Texas
Hold’em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud and other games.
The riverfront Canadian casino overlooking Detroit
now offers poker 24 hours a day. Table limits vary
from $3 to unlimited amounts. Casino Windsor gets
about 80 percent of its customers from the United
States, mostly from Michigan and Ohio.
Playing cards in Las Vegas? The Rio (home of
the 2005 World Series of Poker) and sister casino,
Harrah’s Las Vegas have a new promotion for all casino players. Simply swipe your Total Rewards player’s
card daily through the special kiosk for a chance to
win daily free cash. The cash prizes range from $5 up
to $25,000 with one lucky giant grand prize possibility of $1 million. The contest runs through April 16. In
addition Harrah’s is now among the few Strip casinos
to offer a late-night/overnight buffet. The Fresh Market
Square Buffet is open from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
nightly, offering a combination of breakfast selections,
including made-to-order omelets, as well as dinner
choices. The price is $9.99 per person. The only other
known late-night Strip buffets are at the Riviera or
the Boardwalk and neither of them currently have a
poker room.
That’s it for this week!
H. Scot Krause is a freelance writer, gaming industry
analyst and researcher, originally from Cleveland, Ohio.
While raising his two year-old son, Zachary, Scot reports,
researches, and writes about casino games, events,
attractions and promotions. He is an eight-year resident
of Las Vegas. Questions or comments are welcomed.
Card room managers are also invited to send your specials and promotions to: [email protected]
30
APRIL 4, 2005
Card Room Roundup
Morongo Casino Resort & Spa
49500 Seminole Dr., Cabazon, CA 92230
1-800-252-4499
www.morongocasinoresort.com
One of the most successful gaming operations in
California, the Morongo
Casino, Resort and Spa
offers the look, feel and
spirit of Las Vegasʼ most
popular destinations
without the travel time.
Owned and operated by the
Morongo Band of Mission
Indians, the Morongo
recently underwent a mas-
Governor Davis), the casinoʼs all-new 22-table, nonsmoking poker room kicked
into high gear on February
25 with a solid daily tournament schedule that has
kept the room overflowing
with eager players ever
since.
On Monday, the casino
hosts a $10 buy-in Omaha
game at 10 a.m. Tuesdays
instruction.
In response to the roomʼs
immediate success, Poker
Manager Darryl Smith and
his staff have announced
that they will host a special
$5,000 Holdʼem Freeroll
Tournament on Sunday,
March 27. Patrons who
play 50 hours between
March 1 and March 27 are
eligible for the tournament.
For every 10 additional
hours of play, players earn
an additional $1,000 in
tournament chips, with
$10,000 going to players
Breathtaking architecture
and mountainview setting
distinguish the Morongo
Casino Resort.
sive reconstruction that
turned the already-notable
casino into a $250 million
operation that rivals anything found on the Strip.
Located 90 minutes east
of Los Angeles and 20 minutes west of Palm Springs,
the Morongo Casino,
Resort & Spa sits on 44
acres nestled in a valley
between the San Gorgonio
and San Jacinto mountain
ranges. Boasting a 148,000square-foot casino floor,
the Morongo provides
310 four-star caliber hotel
rooms and suites with
mountain views, unforgettable restaurants, a threestory nightclub, convention
facilities and an oasisthemed pool area complete
with Jacuzzis. . The casinoʼs breathtaking architectural design, inspired by the
forces of nature, includes
lush gardens, sandy beaches
and extensive landscaping.
Following the new
Morongoʼs official kickoff party on December 8
(which drew a star-studded crowd including music
group Destinyʼs Child, Jay
Leno and former California
bring a 10 a.m., $10-buy-in
No Limit Holdʼem tournament, with a Holdʼem
tournament ($25 buy-in,
$5 entry) at 7 p.m. On
Wednesdays, a $10 buy-in
Crazy Pineapple tournament begins at 10 a.m.,
with $100 per hour added
to a randomly selected
table game from 6 p.m. to
midnight. Thursday features two Holdʼem tournaments, at 10 a.m. ($10
buy-in) and 7 p.m. ($55
buy-in, $5 entry). No Limit
Holdʼem returns on Fridays
with a 10 a.m., $10 buyin tournament. Weekends
at Morongo are also hot,
with an 11 a.m. No Limit
tournament ($10-buy-in)
on Saturdays and a 12 p.m.
Holdʼem tournament ($5
buy-in) on Sundays. The
Sunday game has become
particularly popular with
younger players (at least
10 percent of the casinoʼs
overall customer base), who
are made to feel safe to
learn the game they see on
TV thanks to the comfortable buy-in. Additionally,
the Morongo regularly
provides hands-on poker
who clock in 100 of regular
play. Seating is limited to
the first 100 players who
qualify. The event promises
to be great fun for anyone
interested in checking out
the areaʼs newest poker
sensation!
Of course, no poker
room can thrive on just
its games alone. At the
Morongo, casino personnel go out of their way to
ensure that everyone has
a great time. Players are
greeted with the level of
professional courtesy they
deserve. In addition, the
room itself is extremely
customer-friendly, with
wide aisles that guarantee a
hassle-free trip around the
casinoʼs lavish exterior.
Judging from the new
Morongoʼs meteoric rise in
the California poker scene,
there is little doubt that
the casino will continue to
score big with poker fans
looking for a great adventure close to home.
For more information on
the Morongo poker room,
please call (800) 252-4499
ext. 23610 or visit www.
morongocasinoresort.com.
ENDLESS SUMMER 3/17/05
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $20 + $15
PLAYERS 158
REBUYS 473
ADD-ONS 222
PRIZE
POOL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
$16,205
Marcjean Blawers . . . $6,840
Aziz Ahmed . . . . . . . . $3,240
Richard Bakovic . . . . $1,620
James Holder . . . . . . . $1,060
Sandra Mace . . . . . . . . .$815
James Leung . . . . . . . . .$570
Tom Luu . . . . . . . . . . . . .$410
Rene Borbon . . . . . . . . .$325
Alan Zuckerman . . . . . .$245
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
LIMIT HOLD’EM
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $20 + $15
BUY-IN $20 + $15
BUY-IN $20 + $15
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
PLAYERS 181
REBUYS 480
ADD-ONS 231
PRIZE POOL
PLAYERS 83
REBUYS 170
ADD-ONS 117
PRIZE POOL
$16,945
$7,030
Bogdan Draghici
Adrianna Blaul
Bogdan Draghici . . . . $6,780
Allen Zuckerman. . . . $3,390
Charlie Miller . . . . . . $1,695
Seyed Mazarei . . . . . . $1,100
Joe Chu. . . . . . . . . . . . . .$850
Shant Kuyumjian . . . . .$590
Joe Tushnet . . . . . . . . . .$420
Andrew Mirisch. . . . . . .$340
Ron Graczyk . . . . . . . . .$250
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Adrianna Blaul . . . . . $2,810
Larry Rosenberg . . . . $1,620
Gina Orozco . . . . . . . . . .$850
Mike Fujimoto . . . . . . . .$490
Jay Le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$385
Bahman Fathi . . . . . . . .$315
Shaun Morrow. . . . . . . .$245
Charles McKinzie . . . . .$175
Irene Williams . . . . . . . .$140
BUY-IN $20 + $15
PLAYERS 72
REBUYS 120
ADD-ONS 105
PRIZE POOL
PLAYERS 172
REBUYS 449
ADD-ONS 228
PRIZE
POOL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
$16,130
Douglas Hill . . . . . . . . $6,450
Michael Pak . . . . . . . . $3,225
Nayeem Khan . . . . . . $1,615
John Dashtara . . . . . . $1,050
Jolyn Haviland. . . . . . . .$810
Chris Campochiaro . . . .$570
Doug Marsh . . . . . . . . . .$405
Mike Kravitz . . . . . . . . .$325
Irene Williams . . . . . . . .$240
$5,940
Stefan Gilmore
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Stefan Gilmore. . . . . . $2,255
David Williams . . . . . $1,295
David Phillips. . . . . . . . .$675
Eugene Borodin . . . . . . .$395
Denver Smith . . . . . . . . .$310
Han Son . . . . . . . . . . . . .$255
Michael Guillaume . . . .$200
Harry Hudson . . . . . . . .$140
George Wilson . . . . . . . .$115
BACK ISSUES, SPECIAL FEATURES & UP-TO-THE MINUTE POKER INFO—
LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $20 + $15
PLAYERS 66
REBUYS 129
ADD-ONS 96
PRIZE POOL
$5,530
Alan Gitlan
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Alan Gitlan. . . . . . . . . $2,210
Irene Williams . . . . . . $1,270
George Antablian . . . . .$665
Ope Cabato . . . . . . . . . .$390
John Ross . . . . . . . . . . . .$305
Lewis Young . . . . . . . . . .$250
Patti Singer . . . . . . . . . .$190
Sedrak Fodolyan . . . . . .$140
Gary Mandell. . . . . . . . .$110
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $20 + $15
PLAYERS 169
REBUYS 467
ADD-ONS 226
PRIZE POOL
$16,375
Gus Contos
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Gus Contos . . . . . . . . . $6,550
Robert Conger . . . . . . $3,275
Stefan Gilmore. . . . . . $1,635
Grandison Johnson . . $1,060
Irene Williams . . . . . . . .$820
Eddie Ehteshami . . . . . .$570
Douglas Hill . . . . . . . . . .$410
Keith Barrett . . . . . . . . .$325
Jeff Cameron . . . . . . . . .$245
LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $20 + $15
PLAYERS 99
REBUYS 189
ADD-ONS 140
PRIZE POOL
$8,130
Jonathan Azoulay
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Jonathan Azoulay . . . $3,250
Kianoush Abolfathi . . $1,870
Faith Hindrichs . . . . . . .$975
Stefan Gilmore. . . . . . . .$570
Ahant Kuyumjian . . . . .$450
Calvin Bailey . . . . . . . . .$365
Ope Cabato . . . . . . . . . .$285
Jerry Singer . . . . . . . . . .$200
David Phillips. . . . . . . . .$165
Enter Casino Arizona’s Spring Charity Scramble, benefiting
the Crisis Nursery, a safe haven for children threatened
with abuse, neglect or homelessness.
Get your foursome ready for the Casino Arizona Spring Charity
Scramble, April 25th at Talking Stick Golf Course. After your
round, join us at the Cactus Garden Patio at Casino Arizona at
Talking Stick for an auction, as well as $50,000 in cash and
prizes. For sponsorship information, or to register, call Campbell
and Associates Golf Marketing Services at 480.451.6613.
Casino Arizona reserves the right to cancel or alter this promotion at any time.
WE’VE GOT YOUR GAME
101 & Indian Bend Adjacent to Scottsdale
480-850-7777 www.casinoaz.com
Owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
Please gamble responsibly.
APRIL 4, 2005
31
Your Poker Marathon
Our American culture has allowed us to become
accustomed to instant gratification. We expect to get
what we want in the shortest amount of time possible. Perhaps this helps to explain the recent aura
of impatience that has overtaken the new generation
of poker players. Each new player that
gets attracted to this game due to the
POKER COUNSELOR
GREENBACKS
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
BICYCLE CASINO
In addition to being an avid poker enthusiast, John is a
certified Counselor in the state of Pennsylvania. He has
a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from West Virginia
University, and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology
with a minor in Sociology from Lock Haven University.
You can ask the “Poker Counselor” your question at
[email protected].
32
APRIL 4, 2005
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
EVENT 11
Kirk Conrad . . . . . . $12,570
Mark Myers . . . . . . . . $8,705
Stephane Fitoussi. . . . $6,770
Jonathan Azoulay . . . $4,835
Tod Dubow . . . . . . . . . $3,870
Gioi Long . . . . . . . . . . $2,900
BICYCLE CASINO
By John Carlisle, MA, NCC
explosion of television exposure seems
to expect to become successful and
profitable in only a couple of months time.
It is certainly true that new players today have
amazing advantages to shorten the learning curve
remarkably. With dozens of informative poker
books and videos on the market, innumerable poker
chat forums and websites, and poker odds software
readily available, keen players can gain a quick
understanding of the game. With online players
having access to tools that include hand histories
to evaluate their play, dissecting past mistakes is
easier than ever. Still, isn’t it a bit unrealistic for
many new players seem to carry with them a cocky
attitude as if they expect to win? The poker veterans grumble that they haven’t “paid their dues.”
Indeed, everyone must understand that true
excellence in poker is a lifelong marathon. Time
reading an instructional book about poker is not a
viable replacement for time invested at the table.
Poker veterans should be viewed with a certain
respect, and their experiences should be honored
and valued. They have probably had amazing experiences on their poker journey. They’ve seen the
toughest scenarios, battled against great players,
and played through the coldest run of cards.
But should we actually expect newcomers to the
game to carry anything but an entitled attitude
with high expectations? After all, they see poker
as a sprint, not a marathon. They have a narrowed
vision of the game, and look only to today to fill
their expectations. With that, they could win just
as often as those who’ve been playing for a long
time. When they truly believe that they can win,
that feeling of confidence and hope overtakes them.
Basically, they know that displaying weakness and
insecurity at the table will spell certain doom. The
barracudas at the table will undoubtedly see this
weakness as an advertisement to attack. Instead,
the newcomer has psychologically fooled himself
into thinking that he can play with the best despite
a lack of playing experience. His self-boosted ego
is the only hope to mask the uncertainties from
himself and his opponents.
Whether you are a newcomer, a veteran, or somewhere in between, take some time to think about
your own personal poker marathon. Understand
that being your absolute best at this game takes
a unique blend of confidence and skill that comes
from years and years of play and study. You must
believe that patience and practice will eventually
pay big dividends. Thinking long-term will allow you
to better accept and move past an occasional bad
beat or a single bad night. Embark on your poker
quest, and remember to enjoy the journey.
Now go make it happen.
Paul Javier . . . . . . . . . $4,315
Mario Espinoza . . . . . $2,950
Quy Lam . . . . . . . . . . $2,045
Russell Hendricks . . . $1,585
Angela Farquhar . . . . $1,130
Firooc Ghassemi . . . . . .$910
George Marlowe . . . . . .$680
EVENT 9
Mehrdad Hatami . . . . $3,200
Norman Wheatcroft . $2,285
Nick Padovan . . . . . . . $1,830
Manuel Toste . . . . . . . $1,370
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT 6
BUY-IN $200 + $25
PLAYERS 182
BUY-IN $300 + $30
BUY-IN $300 + $30
PRIZE
POOL
PLAYERS 136
PRIZE
POOL
PLAYERS 115
$34,500
3/8/05
POT LIMIT HOLD’EM
3/11/05
OMAHA HI-LO
3/13/05
STUD HI-LO
PRIZE
POOL
6.
7.
8.
9.
$36,400
$40,800
Bill Henson
Massoud Setayesh
Alex Papachatzakis
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Alex Papachatzakis . $13,800
Chai Shin . . . . . . . . . . $6,900
Sayed Mazarei . . . . . . $3,450
Bruce Smith . . . . . . . . $2,070
Timothy Kennedy . . . $1,725
George Rechnitzer. . . $1,380
Doug Saab . . . . . . . . . $1,035
Hon Le . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$700
Lance Bruk . . . . . . . . . .$515
Hoang Wins in
7-Way Chop
John Hoang, sporting the
shiny bracelet he won this
year at the World Poker
Open, started and ended the
final table in tonightʼs $200
no-limit event with the most
chips. After only 10 hands,
the table was down to seven
players. There was a chipcount deal, and Hoang was
declared the winner of the
10th event of Winninʼ oʼ
the Green 2005. He had
101,500 chips, but with two
players close behind, a deal
seemed prudent. This event
had a $75,000 guarantee
which was greatly exceeded
by a prize pool of $193,400
generated by 376 players
who made 591 rebuys.
BICYCLE CASINO
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT 8
BUY-IN $200 + $25
PLAYERS 224
PRIZE
POOL
$44,800
Karlo Gharabegian
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Karlo Gharabegian . $16,800
Lisa Rosenburg . . . . . $8,505
Craig Brennan . . . . . . $4,255
Charles Davidson . . . $2,910
Ira Dypere . . . . . . . . . $2,015
John Henson . . . . . . . $1,570
Gary Radtke . . . . . . . $1,120
John Isaac . . . . . . . . . . .$895
Matthew Trexler . . . . . .$670
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT 7
3/9/05
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
3/12/05
BUY-IN $200 + $25
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
PLAYERS 457
BUY-IN $200 + $25
PRIZE
POOL
PLAYERS 376
PLAYERS 591
PRIZE
POOL
3/10/05
LIMIT HOLD’EM
EVENT 10
Massoud Setayesh . . $16,320
Jason Katsutani . . . . . $7,750
Steven Goodwin . . . . . $3,875
Don Larrimore . . . . . $2,450
David Kim . . . . . . . . . $1,835
Murray Mandell . . . . $1,430
George Marlowe . . . . $1,020
Super Mario . . . . . . . . . .$815
Steve Badger . . . . . . . . .$715
$91,400
$193,400
Jerry Buss
John Hoang
1. John Hoang . . . . . . . $72,530
2. Fern Chamberlain . . $36,745
3. Thn Nguyen . . . . . . . $18,375
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Jerry Buss . . . . . . . . $33,820
Kellie Brown . . . . . . $16,685
David Anderson . . . . . $8,225
George Panagakis . . . $5,485
William Kerr . . . . . . . $4,115
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Bill Henson . . . . . . . . $14,560
Dino Medina . . . . . . . $6,910
Johan Yha . . . . . . . . . $3,460
Paul Rowe . . . . . . . . . $2,185
Luis Concha . . . . . . . . $1,640
Ut Nguyen . . . . . . . . . $1,275
Jeffrey Stein . . . . . . . . . .$910
Bob Markham . . . . . . . .$730
Michael Mercado. . . . . .$635
Lady Destroys
$100 Hold’em
Linh Luong, an “on and
off” poker player, pretty
much wiped out the final
table of event five of
Winninʼ ʻo the Green, $100
limit holdʼem. She arrived
with the second chip lead,
took over on hand 10, won
every hand she played and
owned about 80 per cent of
the chips when a deal was
made heads-up.
Los Angeles resident
Linh Luong is “independently employed,” though
she did not elaborate. She
learned how to play poker
from her uncle, who plays
professionally, and from
her brother, who plays as
well. Luong has been playing sporadically for seven
or eight years. She plays
mostly live action, putting
in about 10 hours a week,
and her preferred game is
$9-$18 holdʼem. Holdʼem
is the only game she plays,
though she plays no-limit as
well as limit. Her tournament resume is brief. Sheʼs
played only five events, but
managed three cash-ins.
This is her first victory and
biggest payday.
Luong describes her
playing style as variable.
“Tight-aggressive” is her
description. She said that
it was not all easy going
for her tonight. She was
low-chipped early on, with
WON AT THE BIKE
about 20 tables left, but
managed to hang on and go
from there.
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT 5
3/7/05
LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $100 + $10
PRIZE
POOL
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Robert Fowlkes . . . . $23,415
Bobby Hoffman . . . . $11,545
Ernest Bennett . . . . . . $7,700
Art Alvarez. . . . . . . . . $5,775
Tammy Buletza . . . . . $4,490
John Mikaelian . . . . . $3,210
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
3/5/05
PLAYERS 384
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
$38,400
BUY-IN $50 + $10
EVENT 2
3/4/05
OMAHA HI-LO
BUY-IN $200 + $25
PLAYERS 180
PLAYERS 283
REBUYS 499
PRIZE
POOL
BICYCLE CASINO
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT 3
Mervin Gass . . . . . . . $12,465
Allen Lu . . . . . . . . . . . $6,315
Greg Vogel . . . . . . . . . $3,155
Manuel Pardo . . . . . . $2,160
Henry Antanesian . . . $1,495
PRIZE
POOL
$36,000
$39,100
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ralph Juarez . . . . . . $14,400
Chan Vu . . . . . . . . . . . $6,840
Dr Barry Marfleet . . . $3,420
Jose Contreras . . . . . . $2,160
Brad Bragg. . . . . . . . . $1,620
Linh Luong . . . . . . . $14,400
Leo Bularan . . . . . . . . $7,300
Ralph Juarez . . . . . . . $3,650
Jim Uylloan . . . . . . . . $2,495
Anthony Lee. . . . . . . . $1,730
Rodolfo Guevara . . . . $1,345
Hyeong Lim . . . . . . . . . .$960
Vegan Sarkissian . . . . . .$770
Yong Kim . . . . . . . . . . . .$575
Ralph Juarez
Mervin Gass
$73,100
When the table got down
to five players, a chip count
deal was made. At that
point, Albert Shim had a
huge lead with 249,000 of
the 585,000 chips in play
and was declared the winner.
1. Albert Shim . . . . . . . $25,586
BICYCLE CASINO
5. Wayne Chang. . . . . . . $2,925
EVENT 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
PRIZE
POOL
Internet Engineer
Wins No.1
Linh Luong
3/3/05
Albert Shim
2. Min Lee . . . . . . . . . . $12,645
3. Jeremie Scott . . . . . . . $6,030
4. Luis Concha . . . . . . . . $3,765
6. James Brooks . . . . . . . $2,195
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
7. Makya McBee . . . . . . $1,830
BUY-IN $100 + $20
8. Benjamin Chung . . . . $1,460
PLAYERS 731
9. Nader Khalil . . . . . . . $1,095
Bridesmaid is Finally
a Bride
Iʼve had more secondplace finishes than Daniel
Negreanu,” sighed Keith
Babols after he won the
fourth event of Winninʼ oʼ
the Green, $100 no-limit
holdʼem, and scored his
first-ever tournament victory. Right after blinds went
to $10,000-$20,000, Babols,
a mortgage broker, caught
fire, knocked out two players and soon had more than
half the chips in play. Three
players were left, and after
a few more hands went by,
veteran pro Bobby Hoffman,
who just moved to Atlanta,
proposed a deal which ended
the event. Rob Fowlkes, a
graphic designer, had a few
more chips than Hoffman
and took second. “He was
just too hot,” Hoffman said
of Babols, explaining why he
chose not to play it out.
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT 4
3/6/05
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $300 + $30
PLAYERS 463
REBUYS 820
PRIZE
POOL
$128,300
Summer Classic
In the Card Club of the Casino Europa
Schedule
MAY
MAY
Mon
Tues
16
17
Event 1
MAY
Wed
18
Event 2
MAY
Thur
19
Event 3
MAY Fri/Sat 20/21
MAY
Sun
Event 4
22
Event 5
Cocktail reception, Live games and satellites
Hold’em no limit
$10 one hour Multiple rebuys 15 add ons
Hold’em no limit
$50 buy in, up to 6 rebuy 1 add on $100
Omaha Hi Low
$150 buy in1 add on $100
Hold’em No Limit
$1500 buy in 1 add on $1000
Event 4 Final Table
Second Chance Hold’em No Limit
$500 buy in
The first 125 people to register
and play all the tournaments events,
will recieve totally free:
Hotel room, local transportation
(Airport / hotel / Card Room) and breakfast
For more information call:
Costa Rica: Tel.: (506)256-4949 / Fax: (506)256-5959
email: [email protected]
Las Vegas:(702) 256-5921 / Toll free 1-877-8421238
email: [email protected]
RESTRICTIONS APPLY
Keith Babols
Satellites will be run at Ultimatebet.com
1. Keith Babols. . . . . . . $47,890
APRIL 4, 2005
33
And the Winner Is...
RESULTS
PLAYERS 50
REBUYS 25
Right now, make a wish. There are no guidelines as to what
the wish entails as long as it is only one wish. Do not use
a compound wish to somehow continue a wish-continuity thing, but a single wish that encompasses all you ever
dreamed of acquiring. Now, having done that I’ll tell you
what’s probably going to happen? They’ll be a follow up
PRIZE
POOL
$22,500
COMMERCE CASINO 3/17/05
Dealer Vibes
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $120
PLAYERS 52
REBUYS 33
By Donald W. Woods, Jr.
request for another wish. How do I know
that? Because of human nature, as well
as the natural confusion as to what takes
priority in our lives. Asks a person about
another person’s woes and dilemma, right
away there is a ready response. That is how we live and
survive, making daily decisions about others. Now, when it
comes to ourselves we are not as quick to address those
hard assessments about what is plaguing our own lives.
At this time, I will point out that some form of money and
or riches most probably is at the forefront of most wish
requests. If every one whom requested monetary compensation received that sum, would your life then be in order?
Would your poker game reflect the newfound resources?
Probably the answer would be yes to both questions, temporarily. Subsequently, the real “Achilles heel” in your life,
would soon surface. That is why I have targeted the second
request as the real wish. Unlike the first wish that took into
account the financial crisis, the second request will most
probably address real life altering issues.
The first thing that plagues our lives is taking on additional water when there is already a known leak in the
boat. In reality, we are afraid to change anything in our
lives that maybe counterproductive without a replacement
remedy to implement. When confronted with an ongoing
saga that does not change for the better, it is time to give
it some help. We look for excuses to continue self-destructive ways and tendencies without rectifying anything. We
just continue to exist, in hopes of some divine intervention
that takes over and makes all the necessary adjustments
in our lives. I, for one could appreciate that type of magical dream sequence that rids me of all my financial woes,
plus offers me a stress free environment to face the new
day. Wonderful, but what happens between now and then?
I will tell you what: clear out all your excess baggage! That
is what is plaguing you; excess baggage. In effect, what
is happening is you are handicapping yourself-carrying
additional burdens, trying to compete in the game of poker,
relationships and more importantly life. Those brutal “river
cards” sting just a little more when there is ton of baggage strapped to it. I have no problem in precluding anyone
that I feel does not have my best interest at heart, neither
should you.
Just look at the “rowing” events in the Olympics, everyone in the boat is rowing in the same direction, thereby
negating any unnecessary friction.
To break it down just a little further, you are in a kid’s
game; a lot of “see, but no saw”. It is time to clean out your”
desk” of life, tell whomever needs to hear it, no-and mean it.
In the final analysis while you struggle to juggle all that
comes your way, time is not your ally. The road to real happiness is: piece of mind to the tenth power. Try cleaning
out life’s closets, taking out life’s garbage, and then play
some poker. I will bet a financial windfall is just waiting for
a little room.
Donald W. Woods, Jr. is a 9 year professional dealer.
Some of his diversified interests include, track and
field coach at the high school level yielding a championship in 2002. He is currently penning an original
script, outside the poker arena, for his maiden voyage
to movie-land. For more information, contact him at
[email protected]
34
APRIL 4, 2005
PRIZE
POOL
$8,500
Eric Antman
1. Eric Antman. . . . . . . . $4,950
2. Jon Smitson . . . . . . . . $2,970
3. Jed Dickerson . . . . . . $1,980
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $330
d
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Rick Schwartz
Rick Schwartz . . . . . $10,125
Seth Baker . . . . . . . . . $5,625
Jesse Goff . . . . . . . . . . $3,375
David Baker . . . . . . . . $2,250
Jonah Kim . . . . . . . . . $1,125
Diamond Jim’s Casino
118 20th St. West
Rosamond, California
Exit A 14 Freeway
The Best Little No-limit Tournament in Southern California
The Last Sunday of Each Month $100 Buy-in–No Rebuys $8,000 in Tournament Chips
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Mohammad Ghazi
Mohammad Ghazi. . . $3,825
Phil Garcia . . . . . . . . . $2,125
William Kerr . . . . . . . $1,275
Haik Kyurumyan . . . . $850
Karnig Adrian . . . . . . . $425
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $330
PLAYERS 20
REBUYS 10
PRIZE
POOL
$9,000
1. Jae Chung . . . . . . . . . $5,400
2. Thang Duc Nguyen . . $3,600
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $330
PLAYERS 62
REBUYS 33
PRIZE
POOL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
$28,500
Toby Maguire. . . . . . $12,540
Stephen Burns . . . . . . $6,555
Dexter Choi . . . . . . . . $3,420
John Villanueva . . . . . $2,280
Bedo Denayan . . . . . . $1,995
Chuck Pacheco . . . . . $1,710
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $120
PLAYERS 58
REBUYS 35
PRIZE
POOL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
$9,300
Virgil Lamadrid . . . . $4,185
Chris Barash . . . . . . . $2,325
Khang Doan . . . . . . . . $1,395
Cindy Levine . . . . . . . . $930
Jason McIntosh . . . . . . $465
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $330
PLAYERS 23
REBUYS 10
PRIZE
POOL
$9,900
Call for more info: 661-256-1400
Rio Holds Hold’Em
HARRAH’S ESPN
WSOP CIRCUIT
TOURNAMENT
EVENT 3
3/14/05
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
(2-DAY EVENT)
BUY-IN $1000 + $60
PLAYERS 300
PRIZE
POOL
$291,000
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Asher Derei . . . . . . . $93,120
John Barbieri . . . . . . $51,215
James Van Alstyne. . $26,190
Blair Rodman . . . . . $20,370
K D Adams . . . . . . . . $17,460
HARRAH’S ESPN
WSOP CIRCUIT
TOURNAMENT
EVENT 2
3/13/05
LIMIT HOLD’EM
(2-DAY EVENT)
BUY-IN $1000 + $60
PLAYERS 117
PRIZE
POOL
$113,490
Asher Derei
Yohanes Muruz
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Yohanes Muruz . . . . $40,855
Steve Rosling . . . . . . $22,700
JJ Liu . . . . . . . . . . . . $12,485
Mike Gambony . . . . . $9,080
Rod Brown . . . . . . . . . $7,945
David Taylor Cements
WSOP Victory
Ohio concrete contractor
attends Las Vegas convention, enters poker tournament, wins gold ring and
$113,965
David Taylor, who
plays mostly $20-40 limit
holdʼem in charity games
back in Ohio, arrived in Las
Vegas over the weekend to
attend the National Ready
Mix Association National
Convention. He couldnʼt
help but notice that the
WSOP Circuit was taking
place at the Rio Casino.
How convenient.
Indeed, David Taylor
came to Las Vegas to attend
a cement convention and
ended up with over a hundred grand in cash and a gold
ring. He can be proud that
he has something concrete to
show for his time in Vegas.
HARRAH’S ESPN
WSOP CIRCUIT
TOURNAMENT
EVENT 1
3/12/05
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
(2-DAY EVENT)
BUY-IN $1000 + $60
PLAYERS 379
PRIZE
POOL
$367,630
Dave Taylor
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Dave Taylor . . . . . . $113,000
David Tran . . . . . . . . $58,821
Sammy Schenker . . . $29,410
Dan Pugliese. . . . . . . $25,000
Sean Habibian . . . . . $22,058
Larry Tull . . . . . . . . . $18,382
Blair Rodman . . . . . $14,705
Robert Roter . . . . . . $11,029
Mark Mitchener . . . . $7,353
with our writers; Poker
Blogs by the outstanding bloggers in this field;
Instruction from some of
the key experts; Poker
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schedules; A Poker Talk
Radio show where you may
ask questions of the hosts
and guests; contests and
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we donʼt want the competition to know about...
just yet. So, visit www.
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on a regular basis. Sign
up for our newsletter, and
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who uses it to send
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an internet poker room,
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have banned this site
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Empire Poker is a “skin”
for Partypoker.com. We
encourage you to drop
your membership in
that enterprise and join
directly with partypoker.
com from one of the ads
in this newspaper.
APRIL 4, 2005
35
The Night That Poker Died...
It was at the Mecca of poker—The Golden
Nugget Poker Room—in Las Vegas, Nevada.
BacK in the saddle Again
By OKLAHOMA JOHNNY HALE
Everything changes—but sometimes they
comes full circle and they change back—I
remember a few years ago before there was a poker room
at Binion’s Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas, that a lot
of the high level poker action was at the Golden Nugget in
Las Vegas, Nevada. Now this was before the Mirage and the
Belliago and some of the other big poker rooms were ever
built out on the strip.
It was unbelievable that the poker room was to be closed
and the game moved across the street from The Golden
Nugget to the Horseshoe. I was there the night they closed
the room and I played and won the last hand played at the
old Golden Nugget card room.
I remember chatting with Eric Drache, the legendary
poker director of the world famous World Series of Poker
and card room manager of the Golden Nugget and Bobby
Baldwin. We talked about why they would think of closing
the poker room at the Golden Nugget. The Golden Nugget
card room was such a good poker room and every poker
player in the world knew about it and loved to play poker in
the room.
It was said that if a poker player played in the poker
room long enough, the chances were really good that
every poker player that they had ever played poker with,
or that they had ever heard of would be there someday to
play with them. They moved the poker room all around the
casino floor but when it closed, it was up front by the door
to what is now the Fremont Street Experience.
I guess nowadays that I should call him Mr. Baldwin, but I
just can’t. Forgive me, Bobby.
You see I knew that Bobby loved poker, and I have known
and played poker and gin rummy with Bobby since he was
about 12 years old, back in our old hometown in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. Mr. Baldwin was in charge of the Golden Nugget
at that time—and now is THE MAN at several other casinos
here in Las Vegas, and for that matter in the World.
I asked Bobby, why would he want to close the best
known poker room in the world. And I reminded him that
it was the Mecca of the world for all poker players. Bobby
told me, “Just look around, Johnny, you see all of those
slots? They are busy and I need this poker room location to
put in some more higher-limit slots!”
Since the closing of the Golden Nugget poker room,
many, many, other poker rooms have had to give way to
make room for the slot machines. I hate change, and I
hated to see my favorite poker room close. But I understood why—The slots were and still are a very big part of
the bottom line of the casino business.
But the Poker Gods have once again smiled on the game
of poker. The new Poker God—Television—has spoken, and lo
and behold! We have once again come full circle.
And all of those casinos that had taken out the poker
rooms and put in more slots are now moving the slots over
just a little! Oh, sure they are going to keep the slots. But
they have listen to the new poker god—Television—and
have just built a lot more casino space so that they could
reinvent the Poker Wheel. The casinos have put their poker
rooms back as one of the main attractions of all the games.
Carol and I went to the grand reopening of the old (no,
the NEW) Golden Nugget poker room, and Yes!—I played and
won the first hand ever played in the new poker room at
the new Golden Nugget.
Until next time, remember to STAY LUCKY!!!
Editor’s Notes: You may contact OK-J at his e-mail
[email protected], or play poker LIVE, ONLINE
with Johnny, Carol and Sarah at www.seniorpoker.
com. Johnny’s book, “The Gentleman Gambler,” is in
its third printing. Contact Johnny for your copy.
36
APRIL 4, 2005
Book reviews
Testing your opponents,
Tournament Poker
the
power of keen observaand The Art of War—
Sun-Tzuʼs Strategies tion, project a strong table
More than 2,000 years ago
a Chinese general named
Sun-tzu authored a book
about warfare. The text has
inspired military experts,
businessmen and athletes to
find an edge ever since.
Can the same principles
be applied to the game of
poker--particularly tournament poker?
Author David Apostolico
says yes, and in his
Tournament Poker and
the Art of War (151 pages,
paperbound, $12.95), he
teaches players how to
“adopt a warriorʼs mindset
in order to gain a psychological edge” and succeed in
tournament poker.
This is a book about
understanding yourself as a
player while understanding
who you have to face in battle and learning to survive-a key element in no-limit
poker tournament play.
Risk, deception, exploiting a situation to your own
benefit, waiting for the right
time to eliminate an opponent, and adjusting your play
accordingly are all factors to
understand and master.
Sun-tzu courtesy of
Apostolicoʼs interpretation
and application to the game
of poker makes sense. Often
itʼs common sense, other
times like learning to eliminate mistakes through selfevaluation.
“There is no better situation in all of poker than to
be all-in with at least one
caller when you have the
nuts,” the author says. But
learning how to get your
opponent to bet all-in to
you when you have the nuts
requires that you project
weakness.
Smartly offering a specific example like the time
Johnny Chan flopped a nut
straight against Erik Seidel
in the 1988 World Series of
Poker, the author re-creates
the hand, explaining how
Chan maximized his profit
by lulling his opponent
into a false expectation of
exploitation.
The book examines position, the chip stack, gaining
control of the table, and
providing your opponent
an opportunity to make a
mistake.
image--these areas have been
discussed in other books, but
rarely with such keen examples, in short powerful bursts
of advice.
This is a sharp, smart,
the amount
you began
with, what
you eventually
walked away with, and how
many hours you played.
Memorable hands, bad
beats, tells noted, notes on
other players, whether the
right-to-the-bone book for
every level player. Priced
right and written with a feeling for the game, itʼs a helpful tutorial to shore up weak
points and to bolster the confidence of those who need a
helping hand to improve their
game.
For those poker players
who truly want to examine
how well or poorly theyʼve
played, thereʼs an interesting new publication titled
The Original Poker Diary
(Write. Study. Play. Win is the
subtitle). Created by Jonas
Barrish (361 pages, paperbound, $14.95), the book is
designed to be an improvement workbook. Here, youʼll
keep notes on your previous
session, the game you played,
game was live or online-youʼll have ample room to
record notes--to help you do
a mental replay of the previous dayʼs or nightʼs session. If
you can isolate your mistakes,
recall certain tells you picked
up from opponents you may
face again--all these are helpful, for the dedicated player
seeking improvement and
direction.
The book will fit easily
into a carʼs glove compartment or an attaché case—itʼs
a little chunky for a sport
jacket pocket.
It might also be used to
convince the IRS you kept
careful records of your wins
and losses should you ever be
audited.
—Howard Schwartz
Hendon Mob
has been familiar to Europeans for a number of years.
The four young men—
brothers Barny and Ross
Boatman, Ram Vaswani and
Joe Beevers, were playing
poker together long before
their individual and
collective personas produced the partnership with
PrimaPoker.com. that saw
them tour much of the poker
world last year.
The
ever been done in any business, not just poker.”
In the summer of 2003,
the “main man at Prima” sent
the Mob an e-mail and said
he was coming through town.
There was something important he wanted to discuss with
Barny, Ram, Ross and Joe.
“He said he was going
to be in Covington Station
for about an hour,” Ross
remembers, “and he wanted to talk.”
PART 2 OF A 2-PART SERIES
“We didnʼt
Only time will tell. This is
a young manʼs game. Ram
is probably the fittest of us.
I think he can probably take
it.”
All this time on the road,
what does it add up to over
a year?
That calls for a brief
huddle before Joe says,
“All together, probably a
hundred-sixty or eighty days
PLAYER
Profile
BY PHIL HEVENER
And now theyʼre at it
again.
Barny says, “We have
re-signed with Prima for
this year for $1.25 million
which is like a 25 percent
increase. What was already
the biggest sponsorship in
poker is even bigger.”
The second year of touring under Primaʼs sponsorship is already resulting in
new ideas intended to boost
the profiles of both the Mob
and Prima.
One of the most important was discussed in
last issueʼs first half of a
recent conversation with
Mob members during their
recent visit to several U.S.
poker tournament sites. Itʼs
the “Hendon Mob Forum
Users League.”
Monthly on-line tournaments during 2005 will lead
to a final event at the end of
the year among top finishers
with the winner accompanying the the Mob to a WPT
event at the Bellagio at the
end of the year.
But thereʼs more.
“For the first time ever,”
Barny says, “we are going
to be playing in every single
World Series of Poker event.
If we do not get a bracelet
now, there are no excuses,”
laughing about that.
Can they stand the strain
associated with more than a
month of daily competition.
Barny chuckles at the
thought of what this may
involve. “Weʼve been in
the gym a couple of times.
Weʼre trying to eat well.
a year of poker.”
Ram says that last year
they were away from their
English homes for a total of
nine months.
“”Itʼs more than half of
the year if you count the
traveling,” Barny says,
“the going back and forth
between England and
America. It adds up to a
pretty full schedule, but we
also, of course, do a lot of
other things with Prima.”
“Weʼre helping out with
their card room operations
and we get to spend a lot of
time with the satellite winners.
Do the members of the
Mob have families?
Ross: “We all do . . .
wives or girlfriends. I have
two children and we are
away from them a lot which
is heart-breaking at times,
but they get to help spend
the money when I come
home.”
Barny says, “But they
also come with us on some
of the trips.”
On the occasion of this
recent conversation with
Poker Player, they were in
the middle of what is scheduled as a two-week trip.
During the World Series
in June and July, they
will, of course, be away
from home for nearly two
months.
“That will be a bit of a
strain, physically grueling,”
Barny acknowledges. “The
concentration and level
of fitness required to play
effectively in tournament
after tournament is really
quite high.”
If last yearʼs World
Series is any indication ,
Mob members have already
shown they know how to
rise above the pressure associated with a big event such
THE
HENDON
MOB
as the World Series.
Barny says he was in
the money four times with
one final table at the 2004
WSOP. Ram had three
“really good” final table finishes. They included a third,
a sixth and a seventh.
Barny chuckles, “He
should have won two of
them.”
The poker table exploits
of the four were already
well known in Europe, years
before the first sponsorship
agreement with Prima.
“We had done all the
televised poker in Europe,
had been around for awhile
there,” The thing that sort of
formalized it,” Barny says,
“was when we started the
initial Hendon Mob website.
Of course the reason we
did that of course was to try
and attract sponsors, but it
became a big thing on its
own as we continued to produce strong results and get a
lot of press.”
This made the Prima
decision an easy choice,
according to Beevers, when
Prima went looking for a
spokesperson, or, in this
case, spokespeople.
Barnety laughs, “Really,
our first agreement with
Prima was one of the quickest and easiest deals thatʼs
know who this guy was,”
Barny says. “We had never
heard of the company or
anything, and weʼre thinking, well, weʼll get a nice
cup of coffee out of it. But
after 45 minutes of chatting, there we were shaking
hands on a million-dollar
deal.”
Barny shakes his head,
recalling how stunned he
was at how easily circumstances had come together
to benefit the mob.
“When itʼs right, itʼs right
and you just know it. You
donʼt have to spend a lot of
time thinking about the various angles.”
How successful was this
sponsorship? By the end of
the first 12-month agreement, Prima had grown by
about 500 percent and is
now among the top on-line
poker sites.
And all this parallels
the soaring popularity of
the Mob and its individual
members.
“For instance,” Ross says,
“Ram was playing in a big
tournament yesterday and
there were over 200 people
who came on just to watch
him play.”
They were participating
in a recent “beat the Mob”
tournament, according to
Ross, each member of the
Mob playing under his own
name and there was a $200
bounty to whoever could
knock out one of the four.
About 27,000 people
will go through the Prima
network on any given day,
according to Ross, who
stresses that this is a worldwide network with about 50
percent signing on from the
U.S.
“And itʼs still growing,”
Barny says, “growing very
fast.”
Upcoming ventures that
seem likely to suck up all
the energy Barny, Ross,Ram
and Joe seem to have
include possible programming related to a European
television channel recently
purchased by Prima.
“Theyʼre working on a
lot of great content for the
channel,” Joe says, “and we
are obviously going to be
very heavily involved in it.”
As a Prima press release
says, “Uniting players from
dozens of sites in one seamless network has revolutionized on-line poker. Waiting
impatiently for opponents is
a thing of the past for Prima
players.”
Poker Player is pleased to welcome Phil Hevener back to its pages.
Hevener was the Managing Editor of Poker Player from July 1983 to
December 1985. Phil wanted to produce his own publication, which he
did with Larry Hall. They called it, “Las Vegas Style.” A popular journalist who writes for many major publications, Phil was replaced in 1985 by
Gary Thompson, who is now the spokesman for Harrahs Entertainment.
APRIL 4, 2005
37
Entertainment
Listings
Entertainment RePORT
By LEN BUTCHER
You’d think a guy making a zillion bucks a
year would like to take it easy on his days off,
wouldn’t you? Not if your name’s Jay Leno,
host of the popular Tonight Show and stand-up comedian, a role
he still loves to play. He’ll be showing off his comedic talents at
Harrah’s Rincon in San Diego on April 2, so if you’re in the area,
go see him, he puts on a good show. I think one of the reasons
he’s so popular is that he’s a genuinely nice guy and it comes
across, even in his comedy material that is mostly based on current issues and events and is devoid of any four-letter words or
potty humor.
Leno began his stand-up career in Boston and New York (he
was born in New Rochelle, NY) comedy clubs and strip bars. During
the 1970s, he became a popular warm-up act for performers like
Johnny Mathis and John Denver, and wrote scripts for the sitcom
Good Times, which, if you remember, starred Jimmy Walker.
What’s ironic is he did similar work for David Letterman, who,
after he began hosting Late Night with David Letterman, granted
Leno over 40 appearances on the program. As we all know, when
Johnny Carson stepped down after 30 years as host of the Tonight
Show, his successor was to be either Leno or Letterman, with the
latter a big favorite. NBC, however, decided to go with Leno.
At first, the gamble didn’t pay off. When Letterman fled NBC for
CBS, he consistently beat Leno in the ratings for several years.
But once Leno found the right format for his show, he reversed
those ratings and has become the number one night-time TV talkshow host.
On The Tonight Show’s 50th anniversary episode last year,
Leno announced that he would retire in 2009, when his current
contract expires; as many expected, Leno announced that Late
Night host Conan O’Brien will replace him.
Although his salary is somewhere in the neighborhood of $20
million a year, the 54-year-old workaholic continues to perform
around the country on his time off, continuing to hone his skills
and do what he loves to most -- stand-up comedy. That’s a plus
for us.
Okay, here’s a question for you. What famous entertainer came
from the small Swedish hamlet of Valsjobyn (pop. 150)? If you
answered Ann-Margret, you’d be right. Actually, her name was
Ann-Margret Olssen, but I won’t penalize you for not knowing the
Olsson part. She came to the U.S. when she was 5, speaking no
English, but over the years, from her home just outside Chicago,
she learned the language and began taking dancing lessons.
Now 63, she hasn’t lost a step, as you will see if you happen
to be in Reno April 16 when she performs at the Hilton there. I’ve
been lucky enough to see her perform over the years, going back
to the late ‘70s up until today and she never fails to amaze. If
only the years were as good to many of us. She really is a performer who can do it all, and do it all well.
Her first big break came when she auditioned for a part in
George Burns’ Las Vegas show in 1960. Once audiences saw her,
they wanted more, and she could give it to them. From there, it was
full-steam ahead -- singing, dancing, acting -- proving her talents
weren’t confined to one area. The ‘80s were a hot time for AnnMargret, having been nominated for three Best Actress Emmy’s and
named Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year. But it also marked one of
the low points in her life when husband Roger Smith was stricken
with Myasthenia Gravis, a potentially fatal disease.
As we say in Las Vegas, Ann-Margret‘s a “tough broad” and
she showed it over the next decade, taking care of Roger and
continuing with her career. In the ’90s, she teamed up with
Hollywood legends Jack Lemmon, Walter Mathau and Sophia
Loren to film Grumpy Old Men, and its sequel, Grumpier Old Men.
And she shows no signs of letting up as we work our way through
2005. If you want to see what star power is all about, don’t miss
her show.
Len Butcher, a 25-year resident of Las Vegas, is
an online columnist for the Las Vegas ReviewJournal and a former Managing Editor of the Las
Vegas Sun and of Gaming Today. Reach him at
[email protected]
38
APRIL 4, 2005
Poker Player Advertisers are shown in RED along with their ad’s page number
To list your event, contact Len Butcher, Entertainment Editor at [email protected]
CALIFORNIA
Agua Caliente Casino
Comedy Shop
Commerce Casino
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Crystal Park Casino & Hotel Cambodian Dance Party
(27)
Karaoke
El As De Oros Night Club
Julie Roberts
Fantasy Springs Resort
Jay Leno
Harrah’s Rincon
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Pechanga Resort & Casino Hootie & The Blowfish
(24)
CONNECTICUT
The O’Jays
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Gold Strike Hotel Casino
David Sanborn
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D.L. Hughley
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Horseshoe Casino (Tunica) Darryl Worley
NEW JERSEY
Emmylou Harris
Taj Majal Hotel & Casino
Tropicana Casino & Resort B.B. King
(Atlantic City)
NEW YORK
Giovanni
Turning Stone Casino
NEVADA-LAS VEGAS
Magician Steve Wyrick
Aladdin Hotel & Casino
Donn Arden’s Jubilee!
Bally’s Resort & Casino
O
Bellagio Resort & Casino
Binion’s Horseshoe Hotel & Honky Tonk Cowgirls
Casino
Vinnie Favorito
Boulder Station Hotel &
Darryl Worley
Casino (6)
Cannery Hotel & Casino (34) Artie Shaw Orchestra
Thunder From Down Under
Excalibur Hotel & Casino
Gladys Knight
George Wallace
Flamingo Las Vegas
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Golden Nugget Hotel &
Bob Newhart
Casino
Clint Holmes
Harrah’s Hotel & Casino
Imperial Palace Hotel &
Legends In Concert
Casino (13)
Blue Man Group
Luxor Resort & Casino
Midnight Fantasy
8:30 p.m. Featuring three top comedians
weekly.
East L.A., Live Wednesdays 9 p.m.; Top comics,
Karaoke Thursdays 8 p.m.
Thursdays 8 p.m. to Midnight, Sundays 2-6 p.m.
Fridays 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Nightly, except Tues., Wed.
Presents Banda Nortina Sats 8 p.m.-3 a.m.
Apr 2, 8 p.m.
Apr 2, 7 & 9:30 p.m.
Live Jazz, Tues. 8 p.m.
Apr 2, 8 p.m.
Apr 1, 9 p.m.
Apr 3, 7 p.m.
Mar 25, 9 p.m.
Apr 2, 8 p.m.
Apr 9, 9 p.m.
Apr 8, 8 p.m.
Mar 18, 9 p.m.
Apr 1, 9 p.m.
Apr 1, 9 p.m.
Apr 1, 8 p.m.
Ongoing, Wednesday through Monday, 7 & 10 p.m.
Sat-Thu, 8 p.m.
Fridays through Tuesdays, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Ongoing, 7 & 11 p.m. (dark wednesdays)
Ongoing, Tue-Sat 8 p.m., Fri-Sat 8 p.m.
Apr 15, 8 p.m.
Mar 25-26, 7 p.m.
Fridays through Wednesdays. 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Tuesdays through Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 p.m.
Mondays through Saturdays, 2 & 4 p.m.
Thursdays through Tuesdays, 8 p.m.
Apr 15-16, 9 p.m.
Monday through Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Mondays through Saturdays, 7 & 10 p.m.
Mandalay Bay Resort &
Casino (18)
Mamma Mia
Monte Carlo Resort & Casino
Magician Lance Burton
The Orleans Hotel & Casino
Steven Wright
7 p.m. Nightly
Tuesdays through Sundays, 8:30 p.m.
7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays; 8 p.m.
Fridays; 7 & 10:30 p.m. Saturdays, Mondays.
Mar 25, 10 p.m.
8 p.m. (Monday thru Friday)
May 6, 9 p.m. & May 7, 10:30 p.m.
Tuesdays thru Saturdays, 7pm; Tuesdays &
Saturdays. 7 & 10 p.m.
Mar 23-26, 8 p.m.
Palace Station Hotel &
Casino (6)
Laugh Trax comedy club
7:30 & 10 p.m. Tuesdays thru Saturdays.
Plaza Hotel & Casino (41)
The Comedy Zone
9 p.m. Tuesdays thru Sundays.
Sahara Hotel & Casino (36)
The Platters, Coasters and
Drifters
8 p.m. nightly
Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino
(37)
Brandon Bennet
Mar 29, 8:30 p.m.
Wayne Newton
Rick Thomas
Rock ’n’ Roll Hypnotist Thom
Kaz
Love Shack
Mar 28-Apr 20, 8 p.m.
Ongoing, 2 & 4 p.m.
Andrew Dice Clay
Impressionist Danny Gans
The Mirage Hotel & Casino (11)
Jay Leno
Stardust Hotel & Casino
Sunset Station (6)
Texas Station (6)
LAUGHLIN
Riverboat Ramblers Strolling
Colorado Belle Hotel Casino Dixieland Jazz Band
Randy Travis
Flamingo Hilton Hotel Casino
Ramada Express Hotel Casino Darryl Worley
Ricky Van Shelton
Riverside Hotel Casino
RENO
The Palmores
Atlantis Casino Resort
The Ten Tenors
Eldorado Hotel Casino
Ann Margret
Reno Hilton Hotel Casino
Fridays, 10 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays, 10 p.m. & 2 a.m.
Fridays & Saturdays, 8 p.m.
Apr 2, 7 p.m.
Apr 2-3, 8 p.m.
Mar 29-Apr 3, 8 p.m.
10 p.m.-4 a.m.
Mar 23-Apr 17, 8 p.m.
Apr 16, 8 p.m.
Peppermill
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Mike Atlas . . . . . . . . . $7,755
Ronn Leffler. . . . . . . . $4,030
Tony Eddy . . . . . . . . . $2,305
Bill Bertram . . . . . . . . $1,440
Johnny Knight . . . . . . . $965
Shaun Tobin . . . . . . . . . $696
Danny Nguyen Wins Bay 101
On March 11, Danny
Nguyen of San Jose,
California became the
newest poker millionaire by winning the
Bay 101 Shooting Star
PEPPERMILL
EVENT#12
3/4/05
LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $120 $100 REBUY (1)
PLAYERS 116
PLAYERS 106
PRIZE
POOL
$22,200
Championship event held
at the Bay 101 casino
in San Jose, California.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Nguyen bested a field of
440 entrants who each paid
$10,000 to play in this 4
day event. The final table of
6 players was taped for later
play on the Travel Channel
by World Poker
Tour Enterprises.
In addition to his win
of $1,000,000,
Nguyen also won
a $25,000 seat at
the WPT finals
in Las Vegas at
the Bellagio. Also
winning seats
at the Bellagio were Jay
Martens of Vancouver, BC,
Canada who took down
second place and $600,000
cash, while Gus Hansen of
Copenhagen, Denmark took
third and $320,000.
Three events preceded
the championship. These
included the $1,000 buyin spread Limit Hold ʻem
Shootout (110 players), won
by David Le of San Jose $35,000, while Bernard Ko
of San Jose took second and
$20,000, and Tom Madruga
of Santa Clara took third
and $10,000. All three
also won a $2,000 seat at a
WSOP event. Event #2 was
the $2,000 buy-in No Limit
Holdʼem (157 players)
won by Wayne Greenberg
of Fairfax, Virginia, taking $100,000 home. Peter
Zou of San Jose took 2nd
for $52,000, while Paul
Nguyen of San Jose took
third and $26,400. All
three won a $10,000 seat in
the WSOP championship.
Event #3, the $1,000 buy-in
Limit Hold ʻem (157 players) was won by Yelena
Vaysberg of Cupertino,
California taking $50,000
in cash, while Benjamin
Foster of San Jose took
second and $27,000 in cash,
and Thien Tran of San Jose
took third and $14,580. All
three winners received a
$1,500 seat at the WSOP.
Nick Finamore, Jr.
Nick Finamore, Jr.. . . $8,515
Frank Petrillo . . . . . . $4,460
Richard Whiteley . . . $2,585
Al Carter . . . . . . . . . . $1,640
Tex Morgan . . . . . . . . $1,130
Jim Hopperstead . . . . . $830
McEvoy
takes PPT
Event
World Champion Tom
McEvoy won the WPTE
PPT event held at the Bay
101 casino in San Jose,
California. This event, one
of five freeroll tournaments
sponsored by World Poker
Tour Enterprises is open to
qualified and selected players who are principally professional tournament poker
players. There is no entry
fee and WPTE puts up the
$500,000 in prize money.
The event is televised for
later viewing on the Travel
Channel. McEvoy won
$225,000 for his victory.
Winner McEvoy is congratulated by Tournament
Director Matt Savage
and Runner-up Marsha
Waggoner.
APRIL 4, 2005
39
Last Float on the
Clueless Parade
KILLER Poker
By John Vorhaus
Sometimes I amaze myself with the
brilliance of my play but then if I
examine the circumstances closely, I find that
my play isn’t all that brilliant, but only really
relatively better than the grossly stupid play I’m
playing against. This is not news. It’s a proven
poker fact that we make most of our money from
the incorrect play of others. What’s worth noting,
though, is how smart the stupidity of others can
make us think we are. And how much trouble
that leads to.
Case in point: my own silly self.
I had just gotten done playing heads-up against,
truly, the last float on the clueless parade. This
guy made every no-limit mistake known to man.
He chased too much, raised too little, revealed his
weakness by checking, never check-raised to neutralize that perception, repeatedly made big calls
against made hands, and ultimately bluffed off
all his chips in a hopeless spot. I dominated and
crushed, and by the time I was done, I felt like the
Lord High Mayor of Smartville.
Then I went and played heads-up against a
totally different opponent. This guy, sadly for me,
was not so dumb. He was pretty crafty, in fact. He
raised and check-raised and reraised with appropriate frequency, made some tricky bluffs and
some savvy laydowns. With all of that, though, I
might have beaten him, were it not for one tiny
problem: I wasn’t playing against him.
In my mind, I was still playing against that
other guy, that last float on the clueless parade.
Playing like the Lord High Mayor of Smartville,
with all the arrogance and ignorance that implies,
I made myself an easy read, and a very easy
target. By the time I wised up to the fact that
my foe was totally wise to me, it was too late. I
needed to get lucky to win, and when that didn’t
happen, I was done.
It didn’t have to be that way. My second foe
was good, but he wasn’t that good. I made him
much better, that’s all, by playing much worse.
The strategy and tactics I had used to crush a
bonehead had no chance against a skilled opponent, and because I failed to adjust, I had no
chance, too.
Buckaroo Banzai said it best, “No matter where
you go, there you are.” When we forget this simple
truth, we lead ourselves astray. In the best case,
we always have a skill edge over everyone we face,
and when we have that edge, we exploit it to the
maximum. But if we’re only relatively brilliant and
not absolutely brilliant, we must have the awareness and the honesty to face that fact. Otherwise,
we’re doomed. Or at least our money is.
Look, everyone plays stupid some times. I did
it just now, and it wasn’t the end of the world.
Next time I’ll do better. Specifically, next time
I’ll do better at recognizing if I’m up against
someone worse. To win in poker, you don’t have
to be the Lord High Mayor of Smartville (sometimes that’s the worst thing you can be). You
can even be the second-to-last float on the
clueless parade. So long as there’s someone
with money behind you.
[JV’s latest books, POKER NIGHT and THE KILLER
POKER HOLD’EM HANDBOOK are available now in
bookstores or through www.vorza.com.]
40
APRIL 4, 2005
2005 WORLDWIDE
POKER TOURNAMENTS
NOW! Get Tournament Listings at our website: www.pokerplayernewspaper.com
>Denotes Advertiser; Poker Association Events also denoted: t=World Poker Tour,
s=World Series of Poker and e=European Poker Tour.
To list your 3-day events contact: Joel Gausten, Managing Editor at: [email protected]
DATE
EVENT
>Mar 3-20
Winnin’ o’ the Green
Mar 10-Apr 1
World Poker Challenge
Mar 11-28
Masters Ch’ship of Poker
Mar 12-22
Rio Las Vegas Poker Tourn (ESPN)
Mar 15-20
EPT Grand Final
Mar 21-28
Sussex Masters Easter Festival
Mar 22-Apr 2
Spring Poker Roundup
Mar 28-Apr 11
New England Poker Classic
Mar 29-Apr 3
The Poker Classics
>Mar 30-Apr 10Sport of Kings
Apr 5-25
5-Star World Poker Classic
>Apr 11-May 1 Stars and Stripes
Apr 12-17
Southern Classic 2005
Apr 14-16
Women’s Poker Club Showdown
Apr 15-25
PPT No-Limit Hold’em $500K Freeroll
Apr 18-24
3rd Annual Turning Stone Classic
Apr 18-24
Torneo di Poker
>Apr 20-May 17 Plaza World Poker Classic
Apr 24-May 2
WSOP Warm Up VI
Apr 26-May 11
Harvey’s Lk Tahoe Poker Tourn (ESPN)
May 1-31
World Ch’ship of Poker
May 5-10
Oasis Open
May 6-22
Heavenly Hold’em
May 8-15
Paris Open of Poker
May 11-15
Western Canadian Poker Classic
May 12-22
Spring Pot of Gold
May 16-21
Top of the Mountain Series
May 16-24
5th Ann World Heads Up Ch’ship
May 18-28
Harrah’s New Orleans Bayou Poker Challenge (ESPN)
>May 23–26 Mirage Poker Showdown
June 1-5
Estonian 5th Open Ch’ship
>Jun 3-Jul 8 MSOP
Jun 3-Jul 15
World Series of Poker 2005
Jun 6-12
The World Masters
Jun 7-11
Midnight Sun Summer Tourn.
Jun 18-30
Fiesta al Lago
Jun 23-25
Poker Masters
July 1-31
U.S. Open Ch’ship of Poker
Jul 11-29
Rendezvous a’ Paris
>Jul 18-Aug 1 Larry Flynt’s Grand Slam of Poker IV
Jul 25-29
Grand Prix de Paris
Aug 3-6
WPX London Open
>Aug 4-Sept 4 Legends of Poker
Aug 28-Sept 4 Speedway of Poker VII
Aug 29-Sept 22 Borgata Poker Open
Sept 6-25
Calif. State Poker Ch’ship
Sept 26–Oct 2 The European Championships
Sept 29-Oct 10 Fall Pot of Gold
>Sept 29-Oct 16 Big Poker October
Oct 5-9
Canadian Poker Championship
>Oct 8-21
Fall Poker Classic
>Oct 17-30
Nat’l Ch’ship of Poker
Nov 2-12
Fall Poker Roundup
Nov 4-20
Holiday Bonus Tournament
Nov 13-20
The Hold’em Series
>Nov 24-Dec 11 Turkey Shoot/Ho Ho Hold’em
Nov 29-Dec 18
Five Diamond World Poker Classic
Nov 30-Dec 5
Campionato Italiano di Poker
POKER
ON
TV
LOCATION
Bicycle Casino (AdPg 3), Bell Gardens, CA
tReno Hilton, Reno, NV
The Orleans, Las Vegas, NV
sRio Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
eCasino Monte Carlo, Monte Carlo, Monaco
Rendezvous Casino at the Marina, Brighton, UK
Wildhorse Resort Casino, Pendleton, OR
Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, CT
Grosvenor Victoria Casino, London, England
Hollywood Park Casino (AdPg 5), Inglewood, CA
tBellagio Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Grand Casino Gulfport, Gulfport, MS
Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, NJ
Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV
Turning Stone Casino-Resort, Verona, NY
Hit Casino, Nova Gorica, Slovenia
Plaza Hotel & Casino (AdPg 41), Las Vegas, NV
Garden City Casino, San Jose, CA
sHarvey’s Resort Casino, Stateline, NV
Oasis Casino, Mesquite, NV
Commerce Casino, Commerce, CA
Aviation Club de France, Paris, France
Casino Yellowhead, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Reno Hilton, Reno, NV
Spirit Mountain Casino, Grande Ronde, OR
Casino Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
sHarrah’s Casino New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
tThe Mirage (AdPg 11), Las Vegas, NV
Astoria-Palace Casino, Tallinn, Estonia
sRio Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Grosvenor Victoria Casino, London, England
Grand Casino Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Casinos Austria, Seefeld, Austria
Hustler Casino (AdPg 13), Gardena, CA
tAviation Club de France, Paris, France
Old Billingsgate Market, London, UK
tBicycle Casino (AdPg 3), Bell Gardens, CA
Garden City Casino, San Jose, CAAug 29–Sept 18
tBorgata, Atlantic City, NJ
Grosvenor Victoria Casino, London, UK
Reno Hilton, Reno, NV
Casino Yellowhead, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Canterbury Park Card Club (AdPg 8), Shakopee, MN
Hollywood Park Casino (AdPg 5), Inglewood, CA
Wildhorse Resort Casino, Pendleton, OR
Hit Casino, Nova Gorica, Slovenia
World Poker Tour. Wednesdays,
Saturdays & Sundays. (Check local listing for times). Travel Channel.
Thursdays. 10:00 PM. E!
Celebrity Poker Showdown.
Daily 3/23-3/31/05. (Check local listings
for times). Bravo.
Ultimate Poker Challenge.
Fridays & Saturdays. (check local listings
for times/channels).
Poker Superstars Invitational.
Sundays. 8:00 PM. Fox Sports.
European Poker Tour.
Wednesdays-Fridays. (check local listings for times). EuroSport
E! Hollywood Hold’em.
Southern California Poker
Tour. Thursdays. 11:00 PM. KDOC.
iverboats and poker
have always seemed
to go hand in hand,
and although times have
changed, poker players are
R
the gaming industry has benefitted from pokerʼs recent
success as well.
“What a lot of gaming people donʼt realize
is that thereʼs a lot
of side playing for
poker players,”
Olivares said.
“Theyʼre not
just poker
players anymore, a lot of the
younger ones coming
up. Thatʼs huge.”
On the other side of the
state, the Ameristar Casino
in Kansas City has offered
poker since its opening in
January 1997, and according
to poker room shift manager
Jerry Shields, business has
that went from Vicksburg
back to St. Louis along the
Mississippi.”
Olivares said the President
poker room has seen its
Poker Rooms in Missouri
MAP # CASINO
CITY
1
Western Missouri
Ameristar
Kansas City
2
Harrah’s
N Kansas City
3
Isle Of Capri
Kansas City
OPEN
HOURS
# OF
TABLES
GAMES
HIGH
NL? LIMITS S/NS HOTEL
Daily 8:30a
M-F 8a,
Fri-Sat 24hrs
Daily 9a
15
H 7h/l Oh/l
Y
25-50
N
Y
12
H
Y
5-10
N
Y
7
H 7 Oh/l
Y
8-16
N
N
14
H O Oh/l
Y
15-30
N
N
Eastern Missouri
4
Ameristar
St. Charles
5
Harrah’s
Maryland Hts
6
7
President
St. Louis
Casino Aztar
Caruthersville
Opening April 1
8
Isle Of Capri
Boonville
M,Tu,Th,Fri 8a;
Wed 9a; S-S 24hrs
M-F 10a;
Sat-Sun 24hrs
Daily Noon
Daily Noon
12
H
Y
10-20
N
Y
10
5
H 7 Oh/l
H 7
Y
N
20-40
20-40
B
S
N
N
Mon-Thurs 11a;
Fri-Sun 24hrs
6
H
Y
20-40
N
N
S/NS - Poker room allows smoking (S), non-smoking (N), or both (B)
Days open, hours of operation, games offered and tables may vary
continuing to enjoy the game
on several of Missouriʼs
modern riverboats.
Riverboat gaming was
legalized in 1992 in a referendum passed by Missouriʼs
voters, with the first casino
boat opening in May 1994.
While Missouri does not
restrict the types of games
that can be played or the
amount of wagers, and many
of the rooms offer no-limit
holdʼem and cover some
higher limit games, the state
does enforce whatʼs called a
“loss limit” rule, which limits
a person to a maximum buyin of $500 “per excursion”,
which is currently defined as
two hours.
Most of Missouriʼs poker
rooms are naturally concentrated in urban areas, and one
of the poker rooms located
in the St. Louis area is in
the President Casino which,
according to table games
manager Ron Olivares, is
actually located aboard a
historic riverboat called the
Admiral.
“The Admiral has been
around since 1906,” Olivares
said. “It used to be a boat
share of new players since
the surge of interest in poker
over the past few years.
“Itʼs a younger crowd.
Thatʼs what Iʼve noticed
dramatically,” Olivares
said. “The newer faces are
definitely younger, and I
think thatʼs from the surge in
Internet poker. And Iʼm seeing a lot more women too.”
While the President has
been offering traditional
structured, scheduled tournaments like many other casinos, Olivares explained they
have been offering another
type of tournament – the “sit
and go” format popular on
the Internet – for a limited
time since February 1, with
good results.
“The first 10 players with
a $55 entry fee play, and itʼs
winner take all, first prize is
$500, and the house rake is
$50,” Olivares said. “Weʼve
been averaging five tournaments a day since February
1st. Itʼs really done well.”
While Olivares believed
the popularity and business
of poker was going to continue to increase for some
time, he also said the rest of
been booming.
“Our business has just
exploded,” Shields said.
“Even now we constantly
get new players almost every
weekend. Even week nights
Iʼm constantly getting new
players in here. They donʼt
know anything about casino
poker, but they want to learn
and they want to play.”
Shields said, because of
the influx of new players,
the poker room is constantly
stressing the importance of
a proper education for those
sitting at the table for the
first time.
“Weʼre getting a lot of
younger players just learning the game,” Shields said.
“This is their first time in a
casino, and this is the time to
when we play $2-$20 hi-lo
split stud on Wednesdays and
Saturdays. As far as a regular
$2-$5 stud game, I havenʼt
spread one of those since
last August. The gameʼs just
basically died out.”
However, Shields said
tournament business has
definitely picked up.
“We used to run one
weekly tournament and a
higher buy-in tournament
MISSOURI
By Jason Zinzilieta
mold them into poker players that display the proper
etiquette and understanding
of the rules, because if you
donʼt, itʼs not going to happen. We want to turn this
generation of poker players
into polite players. If you
educate them now that this
is the way you act in turn,
toward the dealers and other
players, hopefully theyʼll
continue that behavior the
rest of the time they play
poker, the rest of their lives.”
According to Shields,
the increasing popularity
of holdʼem in the last few
years has caused other
games to go to the wayside.
“Years ago, we used to
spread a lot of seven card
stud games,” Shields said.
“Sometimes, if you came
in on a Friday night, there
would be seven holdʼem
games going and seven stud
games going. Now the only
time I spread a stud game is
two or three times a year,”
Shields said. “Now we have
two weekly tournaments, a
semi-monthly tournament,
a quad-star tournament and
single-table tournaments four
days a week. Thereʼs just
a huge demand for tournaments right now.”
As for the future, Shields
believed corporate sponsorship could be the next step
for the future of the game.
“I see corporate sponsorship as being the next big
step for poker tournaments,”
Shields said. “I see poker
actually becoming an event
where individual players and
events will have corporate
sponsorship, and instead of
the players putting up the
bulk of the money being paid
out in prize pools, I see sponsors putting up the bulk of
the money.”
APRIL 4, 2005
41
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Continued from page 1 - Poker Player Newspaper

Transcription

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