at WSOP - Poker Player Newspaper

Transcription

9
Celebrity Crossword PAGE
tribute to
Greg Raymer
12
42
14
17
20
Dewey Tomko
profile by
Phil Hevener
PAGE
PAGE
Entertainment
Best Bets
22
50
POKER PLAYER
Vol. 10 Number 5 September 4, 2006 A Gambling Times Publication www.pokerplayernewspaper.com Copyright ©2006 Bi-Weekly $3.95 USA/$4.95 CANADA
GOLD Ru les
at WSOP
Bike’s Legends
in Fu
Fu ll S
Sw
w ing
As we go to press, some 16
of the 28 events in Bicycle
Casino’s premiere tournament, the Legends of Poker,
have been completed.
Jamie Gold of
Malibu, CA is
going home with
$12 million!
(Continued on page 12)
e $19,000 richer: Legends
event 16 winner Al Barbieri
WELCOME
To New Writers
Former Hollywood talent
agent Jamie Gold bullied
and bluffed his way to the
record $12 million grand
prize at the World Series
of Poker Main Event in the
wee hours of August 11 at
thee Rio in Las Vegas.
The
he 36-year-old Malibu
resident
ent outlasted 8,772
other No Limit Texas
Hold’em
H
ld’ players
l
tto claim
l i
his first gold bracelet in
tournament play. He credited his success in part to the
experience of reading the
participants in Hollywood
meetings.
Playing a loose, aggressive style of poker, Gold
first drew attention when he
took the chip lead on day 3
of the 12-day marathon; he
remained at or near the top
for the rest of the tournament and went to the final
table
ble with the largest-ever
chip
ip lead. WSOP’s Nolan
Dalla
alla compared Gold to a
“roaring
“
i ffreight
i ht ttrain,”
i ” adddd
ing that he had not seen the
WSOP dominated this way
since Stu Ungar’s 1997 victory.
His strategy was to keep
his opponents off balance,
and it worked. “No one has
any idea what I’m doing at
any time,” Gold commented. “No idea. And I have
enough chips that they can’t
play with me.”
When the nine players
took their seats at the final
table at 2 PM on Thursday
each was guaranteed
guarantee at
least $1.5 million. One
O
by
they
b one th
h ffell
ll away ((six
i
eliminated by Gold himself)
until only Paul Wasicka, a
25-year-old former bartender from Westminster, CO,
remained. “He did a really
Poker Player is pleased to
announce that starting with
this issue renowned poker
strategist Lou Krieger will
be a regular columnist in
this paper. Joining Lou
is Nicole Gordon, who
is reviewing a different
poker website in every
issue of Poker Player. In
our next issue we welcome
back Steve Horton; read-
A Word from the
“Mad Genius,”
Mike Caro
Today’s word is...
“WRITTEN”
Turn to page 6 for more
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of Poker series; his new
series will begin with the
poker rooms of Europe.
Last but not least, our next
issue will also inaugurate
a regular column by Mike
Eikenberry, formerly of
Poker Digest, who has
been out of print for the
past five years.
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5
Caro’s Word: “Written”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
O
ne of the worst things
in the history of the
world is happening
right now, right here
in America, right before
our eyes. And you probably don’t know about.
It took more than 10,000
years of social evolution
to get where we are today.
For most of us, it’s the best
civilization has ever been.
There are rough edges still,
and wars, and terrorism,
and inequity. But we’re free
to discuss all this and we’re
proud of being beyond the
dark ages. And we’d like
to share what we have with
less advantaged regions of
the world. We’d like them
to evolve, too, and be hopeful. We have developed a
method of living that allows
lots of freedom and still
functions fabulously a lot of
the time. And we’re about
to lose it, mostly because of
poker.
Yes, I’m talking about
the legislation that will
ban online poker, but this
isn’t about poker or other
forms of online gambling!
We need to talk soul to
soul. If we don’t, then this
is where it starts – the long
trek back into the worst in
history. We’re not there,
but we’re opening the
door. You might think I’m
being overly dramatic, and
– indeed – last time I talked
about how sad it would be
if United States poker players couldn’t join the rest of
the world online in bonding though poker. Wouldn’t
it be ironic if there were
empty seats at those poker
tables where players from
the nation that holds poker
as key to its heritage
couldn’t sit?
Failed again
But two weeks later the
issue is much greater. Listen
up. As part of my business, I just sent an e-mail
the London Telegraph. It
was an expected correspondence. Guess what happened? My message didn’t
get through. It couldn’t
get through. HughesNet
(until recently known as
Direcway) – the largest
satellite based Internet provider in the world stopped
it. It was because the text
6
of the message contained
the words “doylesroom.
com.” I couldn’t believe it.
I tried again. Failed again.
And again. A long support call to the company
confirmed that they were
filtering outgoing mail. The
representative mentioned
the recent legislation that
has passed the House and
awaits a vote in the Senate.
There was nothing he could
do to resolve the problem,
except to suggest I write to
HughesNet. Well, consider
them written.
I’m not talking about
spam sent as advertisement
or subject lines that might
be identified as spam. I’m
not talking about e-mail
that was misidentified as
spam upon arrival and put
into the wrong folder. I’m
talking about my e-mail
and HughesNet stopping it
from being sent based on
the content of my private
communication. These
were ideas being sent – and
they wouldn’t go out. I
couldn’t communicate
freely. I was sending them
from the United States and
they couldn’t reach anyone.
They couldn’t even be sent
to people in countries who
seem to suddenly enjoy
more freedoms than we do.
The recent legislation
passed by the U.S. House
of Representative is scary.
At a time when many of our
beloved politicians criticize
China for its repression
regarding the Internet, how is
it even possible that we travel that same road? But that
issue now seems tiny. Where
are we headed when we can’t
even communicate ideas
involving online poker (or
other gambling) sites or mention them in our most private
person-to-person e-mails?
Maybe it isn’t
HughesNet’s fault. Maybe
it simply overreacted out of
fear. But if that’s the case, we
should all be afraid – afraid
of where fear of our own
government will lead. Please
think about this. This is really America; and this is really
happening. Make it stop.
All about suited
connectors
And now for poker strategy.
This is the text of another
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
of my favorite lectures from
years ago.
I’m about to tell you the
truth about suited connectors in hold ’em, but you
might not like what you
hear. Before you hear the
truth, you need to know
what suited connectors are.
Actually, I don’t much like
the term, but most professionals have pretty much
settled on it and know what
it means, so let’s use it.
Suited connectors are
simply two cards of adjacent ranks of the same
suits. Usually, the term is
reserved for middle ranks
that would not be high
enough to be profitable,
except that the extra chance
of making a flush – the
suited part – or making a
straight – the connector
part – is enough to turn the
semi-weak ranks into winning combinations.
There are many things I
could tell you about how to
play suited connectors, but
I want to share just a few
very important things today.
Suited connectors are
usually not profitable if
you face a field of aggressive opponents. The type
of opponents you want
to play suited connectors
against are those who call
with weak hands and who
don’t raise liberally enough.
I call these players loose
and timid. Loose and timid
opponents are the easiest
to beat, because they come
into pots with the worst of
it, keep calling when they
should surrender, and fail to
get good value even when
they hold strong hands.
They’re too timid to bet or
raise for maximum value
– except with very large
hands.
Worst kind
If you could always play
against loose and timid
opponents, you could make
a fortune in a short time.
But, sadly, you’re not going
to be playing against only
this type of opponent.
Some days opponents will
be selective and aggressive. That’s the very worst
kind of opponents to face,
because not only do they
mostly play profitable
hands, they get the most
value out of them by being
aggressive.
One thing about suited
connectors is that you’d
either like to take the pot
without much of a fight, by
raising the blinds out of the
action from late position, or
by raising from late position and ending up against
just one opponent that you
might draw out on, or you’d
like to call a lot of players
and see the flop cheaply
before deciding what to do.
If everyone folds and I’m
in late position, either the
dealer position or the seat
just before it, I’ll usually
raise with 10-9 suited, 9-8
suited, or even 8-7 suited.
Suited connector hands
lower than 8-7 suited, I’ll
usually fold with, because
the ranks aren’t high
enough to win consistently,
even if I’m lucky enough
to pair. You see, the added
advantage of raising in late
position when everyone
else has folded is that you
might end up one-on-one
and pair big enough to beat
an unknown hand in the
blinds. For instance, the
big blind might call with
queen-six and later pair
sixes. If you’re playing
five-four suited and your
opponent pairs sixes, you’re
going to need to make more
than a pair to win. While
this may seem obvious and
insignificant, it turns out to
be very significant when
random trials are actually run on computer. The
smaller suited connectors
don’t earn value raising the
blinds from late position,
simply because they don’t
often offer the additional
opportunity of pairing and
beating a smaller pair.
So, mid-range suited
connectors are OK to raise
with in late position, when
you’re first in the pot.
Smaller suited connectors
usually aren’t. Sometimes
you might just call with
these small, adjacent, suited
ranks, but often that’s bad,
too, so you should fold.
POKER
PLAYER
A Gambling Times Publication
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www.pokerplayernewspaper.com
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PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
FOR idrome INFO DESIGN
[email protected]
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WEBMASTER
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ASSOCIATE EDITOR
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Paul “Dr. Pauly”
McGuire
INTERNET EDITOR
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H. Scot Krause
PROMOTIONS EDITOR
[email protected]
Len Butcher
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
[email protected]
Wendeen H. Eolis
EDITORIAL CONSULTANT
Phil Hevener
CONSULTANT
Contributing
Columnists
Nolan Dalla
George Epstein
“Oklahoma Johnny” Hale
Ashley Adams
Diane McHaffie
James McKenna
I. Nelson Rose
John Vorhaus
Poker Player will be published Bi-Weekly by
Gambling Times Incorporated,
Stanley R. Sludikoff, President.
Volume 10 Number 5.
Copyright © September 2006 by Gambling
Times Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without
written permission is prohibited.
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Big tips.
MIDWEST (MN, WI, IA, IL, IN, MI)
But, here’s the big tip. Even
medium suited connectors
are almost always unprofitable in pots against aggressive, winning opponents.
And I’m talking about limit
games mostly. In no-limit
games, it can be even worse
to play suited connectors,
because sophisticated opponents often won’t let you
get good pot odds if you
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PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT
This notice will certify that 46,500 copies of Volume
10, Number 5 of Poker Player were printed at Valley
Printers, 16230 Filbert Street, Sylmar, CA 91342.
Distribution to newsstands, card clubs, poker rooms and
other distribution points throughout the United States,
Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and Europe.
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SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
7
Meet Lou Krieger
KRIEGER’s CORNER
By Lou Krieger©
I’m Lou Krieger and I’m glad to be here. Some
of you may be familiar with my writing from
other magazines and newspapers such as Card Player, Poker
Digest, Inside Edge, Woman Poker Player, Gambling Online
Magazine, The Intelligent Gambler, Canadian Poker Player,
Gambling Times, Poker Pro, Bluff, Poker Life, PokerMagazine.com,
Midwest Travel and Gaming, and Nevada Sunday. But this is my
first piece for Poker Player Newspaper and I want to introduce
myself, tell you what this column will be about, and explain how
you, the reader, can have your say in these pages too.
During the past 13 years I’ve written 400 columns about
poker. At about 1,250 words per piece, I’ve managed to scrawl
out a half-million words. If that sounds like a lot to you, it’s a
lot to me too, but poker is such a complex, multi-faceted, richly
textured, and multi-hued tapestry, that I’ve barely scratched the
surface. There are at least another half-million words still inside
of me, itching to get out. I know; I can feel it.
I’ve also written eight books. The first two, Hold’em
Excellence: From Beginner to Winner, and MORE Hold’em
Excellence: A Winner For Life, were published in 1995 and 1997 by
ConJelCo. The next two, Poker For Dummies, and Gambling For
Dummies, published in 2000 and 2001 respectively, are those big,
black and yellow books that look like small school busses on the
shelves of major bookstores. Then I really got busy and turned
out Internet Poker: How to Play and Beat Online Poker Games,
Winning Omaha/8 Poker, The Poker Player’s Bible and Secrets the
Pros Won’t Tell You About Winning Hold’em Poker. If that’s not
enough, three more books are in the works, all slated for release
early next year.
Now that you know something about me, what can you expect
from reading this column? I promise you plenty of information
and practical advice, along with poker theory that’s presented
in an easily understandable fashion, so it’s relevant to beginners
and recreational players as well as to experts.
We’ll also cover things like money and bankroll management,
and the impact that computers have had on emerging lines of
strategic thinking in poker. Some of my columns will be trip
reports, and I even promise to get in an occasional rant about
something that peeves me — although if you’re really interested
in that, you can check out my blog, at http://loukrieger.blogspot.
com.
The very best players never stop learning. They read, talk
to one another, and have all come to the realization that poker,
like life itself, is flexible, supple, elastic, constantly in a state of
change, and nearly organic. It’s always shifting, however slight
and imperceptive that shift may be, until it morphs into something you would probably not recognize if you stayed away from
it for a while.
This is the road I walk, and if you’d care to join me we can
learn from one another. Believe me, the very act of writing down
poker concepts and ideas firms and solidifies them in my mind,
and I know I learn at least as much from writing my column as
the most assiduous reader does from devouring my words.
I won’t neglect the connection between poker and the real
world either. Every poker writer worth his salt has made the
observation that the lessons of poker are the lessons of life.
That’s always been obvious to me. And it becomes more so each
and every day. The reverse is true too. The very skills that make
some people so successful in life can be applied to poker just as
easily. After all, the vast majority of players have a life away
form the poker table, and if better poker skills make you a better
performer in the real world, so much the better.
So look for me in Poker Player Newspaper each and every
issue. I’m happy to be a part of this and to reunite with old
friends and colleagues such as Stan Sludikoff, Mike Caro, and
Ashley Adams.
Visit Lou Krieger online and check out all his
books at www.loukrieger.com. You can read his
blog at http://loukrieger.blogspot.com and write
directly to him at [email protected].
8
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For information regarding the tournament call our WSOP hotline
at 775-586-4949. For room reservations call 1-800-786-8208.
Date
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9/7/06
Tournament
Buy-In
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9/8/06
1
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9/9/06
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9/10/06
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9
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GOLD Rules W
good job of tricking me
on the last hand,” Wasicka
admitted.
Gold raised to $1.7
million preflop. Wasicka
called. The flop came Qc8h-5h. Gold checked, and
Wasicka bet $1.5 million.
Gold moved all-in. “Oh,
you don’t have a queen, do
you?” Gold asked, goading his opponent. Wasicka
hesitated for a moment,
then called with two tens.
Gold, however, held the
top pair, Q-9, and Wasicka
got no help from the turn,
an ace, or the river, a four.
“My gut told me just go for
it, and my gut was wrong,”
Mozicka sighed. He will
take home a consolation
prize of about $6.1 million.
As soon as the cheering
PALMS
POKER
10
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
ROOM
WSOP. “Unless I’m in a
hospital somewhere, I’m
going to be here. I can’t
wait to play again,” he
enthused.
Colin Malone, an actor
Gold has managed, said that
his talent for bluffing has
helped Gold in both entertainment and poker: “He
can say things that aren’t
the entire truth without
blinking, like saying ‘Colin
looks like George Clooney’
without batting an eye.”
Bios on Players Who
MADE IT to the
Final Table:
SEAT 1: Richard Lee
Hometown:
San Antonio, Texas
Chip Count: 11,820,000
Richard Lee a 55-year-old
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as the opportunity to wager on the horses. Sixteen live
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died down, Gold flipped
open his cellphone and
called his father, a retired
dentist living in New
Jersey, who is in the final
stages of Lou Gehrig’s disease and requires aroundthe-clock care. “Hi Dad, it’s
Jamie, are you there? I just
won!”
“My mom and my dad
have been pretty strapped
because of his illness,”
Gold explained, adding “the
fact that I can now give
back to my parents is amazing.”
Currently head of the
production and marketing company Buzznation,
Gold said that he would
be returning to work the
following week but also
returning next year for the
Play Sunday and
Monday nights!
WIN!
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See the Palms Poker Room for complete rules.
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©2006 Fiesta Palms LLC. All Rights Reserved.
World Series of Poker
investor from San Antonio,
Texas. He was born in
Honolulu, Hawaii. This is
the second straight year
that Richard has played at
the World Series of Poker.
This is his first time to cash
and first time ever to make
it to a final table. Prior to
this, Richard’s best poker
finish was 12th place at
last year’s Grand Slam of
Poker held in Los Angeles.
Richard is married and has
three grown children. When
asked what he wants the
rest of the world to know
about him, Richard said, ‘I
love my family, my country, and San Antonio!’ He
finishers. Erik plays mostly
on the Internet and won the
Swedish Poker Challenge in
2005. His poker nickname,
‘Lilar’ means, appropriately
enough, ‘gambler.’ Prior to
taking up poker for a living,
he was a college student.
Erik is already guaranteed
at least a million-and-a-half
dollars in what is his first
year to play at the World
Series. He arrives fourth
today in the chip count.
arrives third today in the
chip count.
SEAT 2: Erik Friberg
Hometown:
Stockholm, Sweden
Erik Friberg is a 23year-old professional
online poker player from
Stockholm, Sweden. He
represents a growing
legion of Scandinavian
poker superstars who have
come to the WSOP and
won prize money. In fact,
Sweden now ranks as the
most successful country in
terms of number of players
compared to in-the-money
SEAT 3: Paul Wasickca
Hometown:
Westminster, Colorado
Paul Wasickca is a 25-year-
old poker player who used
to work as a bartender and
restaurant manager. He was
born in Dallas, Texas -- and
now lives in Westminster,
Colorado. Paul started playing poker about two years
ago and has already cashed
six times at major poker
tournaments, including 14th
place in a previous NoLimit Hold’em event held
at this year’s World Series.
His poker nickname is
‘Kwick Fish.’ When asked
what he wants the rest of
the world to know about
him, Paul said, ‘I have the
best friends and family
anyone could ask for.’ He
(Continued from page 1)
arrives fifth today in the
chip count.
SEAT 4: Dan Nassif
Hometown:
St. Louis, Missouri
Dan Nassif is a 33-year-old
account executive from St.
Louis, Missouri. Dan took
his vacation time away
from work to enter and
play in this year’s World
Series. That certainly
turned out to be a terrific
decision. Not too many
vacations pay the kind of
money Dan is sure to make
over this two-week period.
“Hold’Em
Poker Gone
Madd”
Charity
Tournament
At Pechanga
Pechanga Resort & Casino
is teaming up with Exit 131
Productions and Hollywood
Poker for a Texas Hold
‘Em charity poker tournament, the third of ten “Hold
‘Em Poker Gone MADD”
events taking place around
the country. The tournament gets underway in
Pechanga’s Grand Ballroom
at 4 PM on Saturday,
August 26th.
Celebrities from film,
television and sports are
scheduled to appear. Past
celebrity supporters included Jon Favreau (Swingers,
Rudy), Willie Garson (Sex
and the City), Vince Van
Patten (World Poker Tour)
and Jeremy Sisto (Six Feet
Under). A $20,000 prize
pool is guaranteed. The
buy-in is set at $150 + $25
registration fee, with 10 percent from every entry and
re-buy going to the Mothers
Against Drunk Driving
(MADD) supported cause.
Registration for this tournament begins August 1st.
Call the Pechanga Poker
Room at (951) 770-2472 or
log onto www.Pechanga.
com for complete details.
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SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
11
BIKE: L
Rules Meant to be Broken
POwer POKER PSYCHOLOGY
By JAMES A. M C KENNA, P H D.
A good joke is usually a surprise. When the
punch line comes, it usually is not what the
listener was expecting. In boxing, a jab and move to the left
may result in a right cross—to the surprise of the one that
gets punched. Yes, even in basketball, a player will move to
the right and suddenly surprise his opponent with a move to
the left from under to score a basket. So, surprise is very
much a part of sports.
Surprise is also the common denominator for success in
poker. When opponents can read what you have from what
you are representing, you will leave with fewer winnings in
the long run. In poker, the skill of surprising opponents is
something that is not taught in books. It’s a skill that comes
from countless hours of playing and learning what works
with which players. There are no rules for how to surprise
others. In fact, it is the art of going against the “rules” the
leads to surprises. For example, when a person is betting
and representing that he or she has the top pair in Texas
Hold’em, he is playing according to the unwritten rule: “The
player with the best hand is betting.” Yet, when a player
has the bottom pair and is betting, the rule says that he
is chasing and misrepresenting his hand. For that matter,
when a person bets with middle pair and is the first to bet,
he’s out to surprise someone. When he checks his middle
pair and later trips- up on the turn, it’s a surprise to that
player and a bigger surprise to the player who had the top
pair.
More and more, as I watch how players play, I learn how
players win more pots when they are breaking the rules of
truthfulness. After all, poker is a game where bluffing and
misrepresenting are desirable attributes. In fact, I have
even seen how truthfulness has been used to mislead and
surprise an opponent. I am sure you have seen or heard
this. A player announces, “If you only have one pair, get
out!” To which the other player calls the bet. When showdown comes, the player with one pair of Aces is beat by two
small pair. Then you hear the jibe, “I told you to fold if you
only had one pair!” The player with the top pair is usually
surprised because he didn’t believe the other player—which,
by the way, the bluffer counted on.
Surprise is the most valuable ability in poker that is often
the least discussed. It is the “sine qua non” of successful
bluffs. But, how do you know how and who will be fooled by
your breaking the rules of what they expect? First of all, as
I have said before, never try to bluff a fool. Misleading only
works on players who are good enough to figure out what
you might have. Secondly, only lie to people who have some
regard for your truthfulness. In other words, a reputation
of being tight will work when you are betting with less than
the best hand. Why? You have players who believe you.
As I mention in my new book, Beyond Bluffs: Master the
Mysteries of Poker,
“It’s the ability to avoid telegraphing what you
have, the talent of hiding in the bushes, the wisdom
of letting others do your betting and the finesse of
setting successful traps for your opponents. In the
end, he or she who surprises the most will usually
leave with the most chips.”
Knowing what type of rule to break with which player are
skills that comes from the art of pacing and leading others. That’s a whole other book, which will be published in
October of 2006. Look for it where I take the science of
Neuro-linguistic Programing (NLP) and apply it to poker.
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,” was recently published by Kensington
Press. Write to him at [email protected].
12
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
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8. Morgan Machina . . . $3,950
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7. Ernest Scheree Jr . . . $2,075
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SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
13
Sam Mudaro is the...
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 nineyear 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].
T
oday I will take a break
from developing an
expert system to answer a
reader’s questions.
“Omaha Al” writes, “I tend
to play more hands in the H/L
…” I assume Al is comparing Omaha H/L to Hold-Em.
There is a good reason why
people tend to play more
hands in a high/low game
then in a straight high game.
First: There are usually two
winners. If you feel your
opponent is on a straight high
hand, your qualified low may
just sneak in for half the pot.
Second: There are only
1,326 2-card combinations
which yield 169 possible
unique starting hands in
Hold-Em. 45 of those hands
have a positive return when
played from the button.
That’s 26.6%. There are over
277 thousand 2-card combinations in Omaha H/L or
High which yield 11,995 possible unique starting hands.
In Omaha H/L only 1,932 or
16.1% are profitable. That is
about 10% less then HoldEm.
Third: With so many combinations there are so many
hands that look good. We all
know that looks can be and
are deceiving.
Al then ask “… what do
you think are the best starting hands?” The best starting
hands are those that have
a positive expectation. The
higher the net win is, the better the starting hand. Omaha
is no different then any other
form of poker in that any
hand dealt to you may win
the pot. A hand that wins
more frequently then another
is not necessarily better. Put
another way; a higher win
percentage does not equate to
a higher net win. I am working on a starting hand guide
that I will offer for sale to the
general public. Keep reading
this publication for future
details.
Al states “Some people say
don’t play unless you have
an Ace???” If you followed
this concept you would be
playing over 94% of the winning hands. This would be
a good strategy for a beginning novice to follow. Not all
14
hands containing an Ace are
profitable however. Winning
poker is more then just
starting hands. Would you
throw away every hand not
containing an Ace from the
small blind? How about the
big blind! In Omaha H/L the
Ace is indeed King, primarily
due to its ability to act both
as high card and low card. It
is the only card capable of
doing that.
Al then becomes more specific and wants to know if A4
or A5, whether suited or not,
are playable starting hands.
Well Al, the answer is “Yes”
and “No”. About 58% of the
hands containing an A5 are
profitable while about 64.6%
of the starting hands containing A4 are profitable. A suited
hand is always more profitable then the same hand nonsuited. With the Ace suited,
the hand is more profitable
then if just the five or four is
suited. The other two cards
obviously make a difference.
Hand
7-8-9-9
7-8-9-9
7-8-9-9
7-8-9-9
7-8-9-9
Type
DS
HS
LS
BS
NS
Win %
0.80%
0.34%
0.37%
0.35%
0.32%
Net
(1.46)
(1.49)
(1.47)
(1.46)
(1.52)
Al then asks “… what
about hands like 9987”. This
hand is not profitable regardless of how it is suited. The
double suited (DS) is more
profitable then the non-suited
(NS) version. This hand contains the three worse cards
in the deck to hold, the 7, 8
and 9. It also illustrates that
pairs and straight draws are
not always profitable. Only
a few pairs are indeed profitable. Aces top the list by far
followed by deuces, followed
by kings. When looking to hit
a straight with this hand your
best hope is to flop a 4-5-6
giving you the nut straight
with some protection if a 9 or
8 should fall.
Al further states “I tend to
be looser when I am catching
cards …” There is nothing
scientific or mathematical
here. It is purely psychological. The more hands we win
in a row the more invincible
we feel. The euphoria is
further amplified when our
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
CONT’D FROM PAGE 6
A Reader Writes
opponents fold hands
they would have called with,
because they too feel we are
on a hot streak. Their actions
actually perpetuate the streak
as there are fewer challengers
for us to beat. The problem
with streaks is we do not
know when they will begin
or when they will end until
they are over. Streaks exist in
the short run; in the long run
probability will rule.
Hand
2-J-Q-K
2-J-Q-K
2-J-Q-K
2-J-Q-K
2-J-Q-K
2-J-Q-K
2-J-Q-K
2-J-Q-K
2-J-Q-K
2-J-Q-K
Caro’s Word:
“Written”
Type
DSHH
DSHM
DSHL
H2H
H2M
H2L
2HM
2HL
L2L
NS
Win %
0.86%
2.74%
2.74%
0.90%
0.91%
0.88%
0.47%
0.49%
0.47%
0.43%
Net
(1.48)
(1.13)
(1.00)
(1.43)
(1.42)
(1.46)
(1.37)
(1.39)
(1.39)
(1.42)
Al wants to know if he
should “… stay away from
danglers like KQJ2 suited or
not??” The answer is, at least
for this hand, a resounding
“Yes”. The chart to the left
clearly shows every variety of
this hand generates a net loss.
There are several problems
with this hand. First, it has
no low potential. If the flop
brought an 8-5-T rainbow
you may feel compelled to
chase your straight draw. You
may call and then the pot gets
raised
behind you. Would you now
call a raise with a gut-shot
straight draw, which may
not be the best hand even
if you get there? Second, if
you connect and make your
King high flush you may just
lose to an Ace high flush.
Consider this flop 2-5-6 or
any flop containing three of
your suite and three low cards
not containing the Ace. When
the pot gets raised and or reraised can you be sure your
opponents just have lows?
What if you flopped two of
your suite and three low cards
none of which are an Ace?
Third, if you make a King
high straight you may lose to
the Ace high. A flop of Q-J-T
can be quite costly.
Omaha H/L is a game of
having or drawing to the nuts.
Remember, in a ten handed
game, 76.9 % of the cards
have been dealt to the players. By the river 86.5% of the
total cards in the deck have
been exposed. If you don’t
have the nuts, chances are
your opponent does!
So what have we
learned? Aces are good; 7’s,
8’s and 9’s are bad. Hands
containing a single low card
are bad starting hands. Draw
if you must but draw to the
nuts.
play these hands routinely.
They’ll often make it too
expensive to call before
the flop, and – even if you
see the flop -- if you don’t
completely connect right
then, they’ll often make it
unprofitable to continue.
The way to play suited connectors against that type of
no-limit foe is selectively.
Sometimes play them, but
not too often, otherwise
you’ll motivate alert opponents to attack and get
maximum advantage.
And finally, it’s more
profitable to come in with
suited connectors after
two or more players have
already called than to barge
in with them, not knowing
if anyone else will call or
raise. Suited connectors are
significantly more profitable when played from late
positions.
So, repeating, when you
have suited connectors in
late position and no one
else has entered the pot,
it’s OK to raise. Calling
is sometimes OK, too, but
doesn’t give you the opportunity to steal the blinds.
If you’re going to raise
the blinds with suited connectors, make sure your
ranks are high enough to
beat a small pair if you
make a pair. Remember
that, in general, you don’t
want to play suited connectors against selective and
aggressive opponents. And
finally, remember that suited connectors will usually
be more profitable if you
call a long line of players
than if you barge in from
an early position. So, often,
if you’re in early position,
you should just fold.
This is “The Mad Genius
of Poker” Mike Caro and
that’s my secret today.
Mike Caro is widely regarded as the world’s 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.
MADD Poker at Pechanga
Larry Miranda, VP of
Table Games at Pechanga
Resort & Casino, and filmmaker Kyle Gates Pagach
of Exit 131 Productions,
organized the tournament
to promote his “Education
through Entertainment” initiative. MADD has agreed
to be the charity of choice
for the Fall 2006 production
of Kyle’s original screenplay titled “Exit 131” and
this enables the filmmaker
to produce and promote the
project, with the organization as a beneficiary. In
return, the film will become
part of MADD’s School
Outreach Program and
the organization will use
the film to create dialogue
focusing on the negative
effects of underage drinking
and impaired driving.
Founded in 1980, MADD
is a non-profit organization
with approximately 2 million members and supporters nationwide. MADD’s
mission is to stop drunk
driving, support the victims
of this violent crime and
prevent underage drinking.
www.madd.org or 1-800-
GET-MADD; victims/survivors’ should call 1-877MADD-HELP.
“Exit 131” is the story
of an ex-high school football star, returning home in
search of forgiveness for
the death of 15-year-old
girl he knew in high school.
The film explores the serious topic of underage
drinking and drunk driving
from many angles, examining the effect the crash has
had, not only on the family
and friends of the victim,
but those of the driver as
well. “Exit 131” looks to
continue the success of the
School Outreach Program
by expanding the format to
include fiction as a way of
educating and informing
teens.
“Young people today
are being inundated with
images that promote the use
of alcohol and other drugs,”
observes Steve Emerick,
manager of MADD’s
School Outreach Program.
“We believe “Exit 131”
creates an opportunity to
draw teenagers into a story
with characters that they
(Cont’d from page 11)
can relate to. “Educating
through Entertainment” is
a powerful approach that
is working for us on many
levels.” Emerick goes on
to say, “We are excited
about supporting the presentation of “Exit 131” as
an example to youth about
what can happen as a result
of making poor decisions.
By showing audiences a
story inspired by an underage drinking incident, they
will see the painful effects
instead of just hearing statistics.” MADD’s School
Outreach Programs’ multimedia assembly shows have
reached more than 5,500
schools and five million
students.
Two-Way Straights
STRAIGHT SKINNY
By RICHARD G. BURKE
Fred had a pensive look while he waited for
a seat in $4-8 Hold’Em at our local poker
room on a stormy Saturday in mid-April. Upon my inquiry
he asked how likely it was that anyone had a Straight in a
ten-handed game when the sequence has one gap. Good
question.
With a board with Q-J-T there are three ways to make a
Straight: someone could have A-K; someone could have
K-9; and, someone could have 9-8. The right two cards
from four ranks will make a Straight. The chance is 37%
that anyone will have the right two cards with any zero-gap
sequence from Q-J-T to 5-4-3. (“Three to a Straight,” Poker
Player, Jan. 9, 2006)
When the board has a one-gap sequence like Q-T-9 or QJ-9, there are two ways to make a Straight with the right
two cards from three ranks, either K-J or J-8. (That’s also
the case for the zero-gap sequences, K-Q-J, and 4-3-2.) To
figure the answer we first compute the probabilities (not
shown) that zero to twelve of those three ranks will be dealt
among nine opponents.
The important question is how are those cards distributed? If nine or fewer cards are dealt, then they could all be
distributed as singletons, and no one could have a Straight.
If any two cards of those three ranks are in enemy hands,
then a Straight is possible. The
# Hands
Probability
0
0.543384569 table shows the probabilities that
1
0.370576227 that there are zero to six starting
2
0.079396159 hands with two cards of the three
3
0.006451111 ranks.
4
0.000190336
It remains to examine each of
5
1.59636E-06
the starting hands to determine
6
1.60761E-09
whether they make a Straight. If
the one-gap sequence is Q-T-9, then K-J and J-8 make a
Straight; K-8, K-K, J-J, and 8-8, don’t. There are 66 ways
to arrange three ranks into a doubleton: 32 ways make a
Straight; 34 ways don’t.
When two starting hands have four cards from those
three ranks, there are 1485 (3!!*C(12,4)) ways to arrange
the doubletons between the hands. By examination, 1104
ways make a Straight; 381 don’t.
Rather than examine all 13,860 ways (5!!*C(12,6)) that
three ranks can be distributed among three hands, we
observe that the chance is less than 0.7% that there will be
three doubletons among nine opponents. We arbitrarily set
the probability to zero that no one will have a Straight, and
did the same for doubletons in 4, 5, and 6 starting hands.
Cross-multiplying arrives at the table nearby which
shows that the chance that no one has a two-way Straight
is 75.5%, with an error less than
# Dbltns
Probability
0.4%. Therefore the chance that
0
0.54338457
1
0.19090290 anyone does have a Straight is
2
0.02037033 about 25%.
We could complicate matters by
3
0.00000000
4
0.00000000 considering three or more trumps
5
0.00000000 on the table and/or Straight
6
0.00000000
Flushes and won’t. You’re a good
Sum rrr 0.75465780
enough player to sense danger
when there’s a three-card sequence and three trumps on
the table, and act accordingly.
Fred observed when there was a three-way Straight
sequence like Q-J-T on the table, that the chance that someone had a Straight was 38%, and when there was a two-way
Straight sequence like Q-J-9 on the table, that the chance
was lower, 25%. (Right.) “What was the chance of a Straight
with a two-gap sequence like Q-T-8 on the table,” he asked.
“That’s another story,” I answered.
Mr. Burke is the author of Flop: The Art of Winning at
Low-Limit Hold ’Em, on sale at amazon, gamblersbook,
& kokopellipress.com. E-mail your Hold ’Em questions to
[email protected]
16
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
loss,” says the Detective.
Concentrating on me, she
fails to hear this piece of
insincere civil service sympathy and Sweeney turns up
the volume to get her attention, “I say I’m very sorry
…,” which finally succeeds
“That’s right,” she replies.
“I’m Mrs. Jessica Thayer.”
Now it’s true that I’ve
been married twice (actually
three times if you count “The
Tiajuanan”) but never to the
beautiful “Jessica.” My total
surprise at her announcement
The Poker Widow
just another poker widow!”
The Detective is utterly
confused and looks to me for
an explanation. Without one,
I tell him, “So help me God,
Sweeney, I’ve never seen this
woman before in my life!”
“Who the hell are you?”
she asks angrily. When I
reply, with an equal anger,
“I’m Jack Thayer,” her eyes
suddenly roll up into her head
and she falls to the floor.
Sweeney yells, “She’s
fainted!”
But I know he’s wrong.
Like all good poker players
do when caught huffing and
puffing and bluffing with
nothing, she’s simply folded
her losing hand.
of our marriage is somein breaking up the starething that not even my lying
down.
poker face could hide. I stare
I have the killer’s chip.
wide-eyed and I blurt out,
Sweeney has questions for
“What!?!”
the
widow.
Her
first
name,
A Poker Player Murder Mystery by Robert Arabella
Detective Sweeney is
or so she tells Detective
all
frowns and confusion.
Sweeney,
is
Jessica.
I
watch
that
is
true,
then
I’ve
just
In a case of mistaken iden“Thayer? You’re Mrs. Jack
Sweeney for a reaction to
discovered that, behind her
tity,” goes a lyric from
Thayer?”
being told that Texas Jack’s
false tears and phony grief,
the Rolling Stones song
“Yes!” she says, breaking
widow is “Jessica Rabbit,”
the poker widow is cold and
“Heartbreaker,” They put
out into fresh tears. “I was
but he only asks, “That
soulless.
a bullet through his heart.
(To be continued in the next
Jack Thayer’s wife. Now I’m
spelled with two S’s, right?
“I’m very sorry for your
Those thirteen words sum
issue of Poker Player)
up why I, Jack Thayer, am
still alive and “Texas Jack”
Rabbit is dead. In this case of
mistaken identity, a maniac
calling himself “The Poker
CASINO ARIZONA PRESENTS THE INAUGURAL
Avenger” found the wrong
“Jack” at a poker table and
shot him in the heart.
While Texas Jack’s grieving widow, who seems more
interested in going through
the dead man’s pockets than
mourning his untimely loss,
cries hysterically in the arms
of Detective Sweeney. I suddenly remember that just
before the shooting started
the killer had tossed his
victim a poker chip. Going
down on one knee next to the
late “Texas Jack,” I bend my
head in prayer, which makes
the policeman standing guard
turn away and gives me the
chance I need to pry open
the dead man’s hand. The
Poker Avenger’s chip is still
clenched in his fist. Just as
I start to slide the chip out,
I find myself caught in the
poker widow’s venomous
glare.
Whoever said, “Hell
hath no fury like a woman
scorned” knew what they
were talking about. I should
have looked away. At the
poker table, not wanting to
$100,000 guaranteed prize pool (paying the top 40 places)
give anything away, I always
do. But this one time, like
Grand prize - $40,000 and State Championship necklace
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17
D E B B I E B U R K H E A D I N T E RV I E WS. . .
LESSON 83:
Vintage Mike Caro
Mike Vento
P O K E R RO O M M A N AG E R AT T H E PA L M S
I’m combining thoughts based on one of Mike
Caro’s columns that we discussed with my observa-
the success it had in it‘s first
initial four years.
Lessons from mike caro
university of poker
BY DIANE M C HAFFIE
tions from the 2006 World Series of Poker.
If you’ve every watched Mike play, you’ve probably seen that
he doesn’t like a quiet, somber game. At the 2006 WSOP events I
watched him repeatedly turn death-like stillness into talkative, fun
tables. At a main-event table, he remarked, “You’re taking $83 million entirely too seriously.” His goal was to lighten the mood and
make the games less solemn and more enjoyable.
As the Mad Genius of Poker, Mike is noted for his entertaining,
unpredictable play. He will often “splash” his cards when first entering a new game. That means, he will bet on unlikely hands and usually show them whenever it’s legal, while shrugging nonchalantly, as
if saying, “Oh, well.” Often those hands are losing ones, but he has
established his image. It will bring him profit over and over again.
Profit for Mike. His type of play bewilders his opponents. They
then play more loosely, inadequately, bringing profit to Mike. Of
course, since Mike is making the game fun, and they’re laughing and
joking, it’s easier to lose to him without ill feelings.
Mike tries never to “go quiet”. I watched him throw hand after
hand away at the WSOP events. Sometimes he did so quietly, without
fanfare, but he interspersed it with comments, keeping the atmosphere light and jovial. He advises, “Usually, it’s worth entering a pot
with a substandard hand or two just to avoid going quiet. You won’t
always be able to escape going quiet, but all that advertising money
you’ve invested is worth protecting if you can.”
I’ll never forget one remark an observer made during one of the
WSOP events. After watching Mike make predictions about what his
opponents were holding, picking up on tells, talking his opponents
into calling or folding successfully, the observer remarked, “That is
vintage Mike Caro!” Mike heard him and reacted with a pleased smile.
Mike remarked to me later that the gentleman was so right. He had
played that table and those opponents in the customary way that he
had played years ago. That day, at that event, everything had fallen
perfectly together to allow him to play the vintage Mike Caro way.
Mike puts emphasis on reading tells. He has written a book regarding that, Caro’s Book of Tells, The Body Language of Poker. Many
people approached Mike at the WSOP to thank him for that contribution to the poker world, relating how much the book meant to them
personally.
Tells. Reading tells at the poker table is extremely important. Of
course, if you aren’t careful, you’ll be providing tells to your opponents, as well. Mike received tells from many of his opponents that
enabled him to decide how to play a hand or if to play a hand.
During one of the WSOP events, Mike played at one table filled
mainly with young opponents. Regardless of their youth, all knew
of him. To Mike’s amazement, these young players often sought his
advice at the table.
Mike was often stopped in the hallways by fans and asked for his
opinion of how to play and whether described hands were played correctly or incorrectly. He always graciously answered their questions.
Other fans stopped to relate their bad beats, to which Mike would
patiently listen, and usually relate his famous first tournament bad
beat at the 2006 WSOP (in which he flopped 8-8-6 while holding 8-8
and lost to a straight flush on the turn and river).
Mike has an image that he portrays successfully as the “Mad
Genius of Poker.” Almost everyone knew him as the “Mad Genius of
Poker,” but some got it half right and referred to him as the “Mad
Scientist,” which I found amusing. They all knew him for his research,
his Book of Tells, and his unpredictable play.
However, the one remark that will stick with me forever is, “That
is vintage Mike Caro.” That man was so right!
Mike Vento hails from
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
He was born in 1949 and
graduated from Catholic
High School and attended
University of Wisconsin for
a few years. In 1970 Mike
entered the restaurant and
bar business and spent 10
years working in the industry
before deciding to move to
Las Vegas to pursue a career
in poker.
Mike enjoyed playing
poker back in Milwaukee
and when the opportunity to
deal poker at the old MGM
presented itself, he took the
plunge.
In 1984 he left Las Vegas
and retuned to Milwaukee
to open another restaurant.
Two years later Mike left
Milwaukee for better weather
and went back to Las Vegas.
He went to work as a
poker dealer at the Gold
Coast and within two months
was promoted to Floor
Supervisor. Eight months later
he was promoted to Assistant
Manager and Director of
Tournament Operations. He
took care of day to day operations at the Gold Coast and
when the Orleans opened in
1996 his titles carried over to
the Orleans.
In 2000 Mike took over as
Card Room Manager along
with Director of Operations.
In 2003 he took a sabbatical and traveled through New
Mexico and finally returning
back home to his family in
Milwaukee.
In 2004 he returned to Las
Vegas and took a Dual/Rate
Supervisory position at The
Palms. Three months later
the MGM approached Mike
to help open the new poker
room and offered him a Shift
Manager’s position.
A year later on April
21, 2006 he accepted the
Cardroom Manager position
at he The Palms. Mike oversees a staff of about 65 dealers and floor personnel.
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].
DB: What is your main
goal as the new Cardroom
Manager of The Palms?
MV: My main objective is to
turn the poker room around to
18
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
DB: What have you done, so
far, to recapture that success?
MV: Basically it needed
some changes. We have introduced a morning tournament
that runs Monday through
Friday and we add $150
to the prize pool for every
10 players up to a maximum of $600. In our High
Limit section we changed
the buy-ins in the $2-5 nolimit game from a $100
minimum-$500 maximum
to a $200 minimum-$1000
maximum. We also changed
some of our promos and
added “Aces Cracked” where
players receive a $55 buyin to our daily tournament
if they get two red aces or
two black aces cracked. We
have another promo called
“Splash the Pot” that happens
every two hours, 24 hours
a day between Sunday and
Thursday. A live action table
is randomly picked and we
“Splash” the next pot with
$50 in chips.
DB: What other incentives do
you offer your players?
MV: We comp our players a
$1.00 per hour up to $10 per
day that can be used throughout the entire casino. We also
have three progressive high
hand jackpots, one for four of
a kind, one for straight flushes
and one for royal flushes.
DB: Did you give any seats
away to the 2006 main event
at the World Series of Poker?
MV: Yes, that was my last
big promotion that I did to
attract more players. Players
received a drawing ticket
for every eight hours played
using their club card from
June 1-July 23. We had our
first drawing for one seat on
July 9 and the winner was
Richard Fitzpatrick and the
second drawing was on July
23 with Steven Abad taking home a seat in the Big
Dance.
DB: How many poker tables
are available at the Palms?
MV: We actually have two
separate areas of tables with a
total of ten tables, six on our
low-limit side and four on
our high-limit side. The room
is non-smoking most of the
day but we do allow smoking on the low-limit side only
between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. We
are also working on revamping the low-limit section to
brighten it up and make it
a more desirable place for
players to come and enjoy
themselves. We have really
cleaned the place up along
with replacing the table tops.
DB: What games and stakes
are played on the low-limit
side?
MV: We spread $2-$4 limit
hold‘em and $4-$8 limit
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Nassif has played fabulous
poker in this championship event, although he has
frequently been one of the
shorter stacks at his table.
He arrives with the biggest
test of anyone today - ninth
place in the chip count.
SEAT 5: Allen Cunningham
Hometown:
Las Vegas, Nevada
Allen Cunningham is a
29-year-old professional
poker player from Las
Vegas, Nevada. He is easily the most accomplished
poker player of today’s
final nine. Allen has won
four WSOP gold bracelets
- for Seven-Card Stud in
2001, Deuce-to-Seven
Lowball in 2002, NoLimit Hold’em in 2005,
and another No-Limit
Hold’em championship in
2006. Allen burst onto the
poker scene back in 1998
as one of the young guns
- along with Phil Ivey,
Daniel Negreanu, Layne
Flack, John Juanda, and
others - who have collectively revolutionized
the game of poker with
their talent and ambition.
A victory today would
seal Cunningham’s place
as perhaps the greatest
player in the game today.
He arrives second in the
chip count.
SEAT 6: Michael Binger
Hometown:
Atherton, California
Michael Binger is a 29year-old part-time poker
pro originally from Delray
Beach, Florida, who also
has career ambitions as a
theoretical physicist. He
now lives in Atherton,
California. Just two
months ago, he earned
his PhD in physics from
Stanford University. This
is the second year that
Michael has played at the
World Series. He made the
final table of the $1500
buy-in No-Limit Hold’em
event - finishing sixth
and earning $100,000.
Michael has a major challenge ahead of him today,
as he arrives eighth in the
chip count.
SEAT 7: Douglas Kim
Hometown:
Martsdale, New York
Doug Kim is a 22-year-old
financial consultant from
Martsdale, New York.
He was born in Yonkers,
New York. Doug recently
graduated from Duke
University with a degree
in economics. He also
enjoys video games when
he is not playing poker.
Doug primarily plays
online poker. This is his
first time ever to cash -not just at the World Series
-- but in a poker tournament. Doug arrives today
sixth in the chip count.
SEAT 8: Jamie Gold
Hometown:
Malibu, California
Jamie Gold is a 36-yearold television producer
from Malibu, California.
He was born in New York
City. Prior to running his
own studio, Gold was a
Hollywood agent with an
impressive stable of talented actors -- including
‘The Sopranos’ star James
Gandolfini and ‘Desperate
Housewives’ co-star
Felicity Huffman. Gold
has also represented and
credits much of his poker
for 25 years. Incredibly,
this is his first time ever
to cash in a poker tournament - and he’s now a
millionaire. Rhett says
proudly, ‘I’m playing in
this tournament for my
family and friends.’ Or,
as Clark Gable would say,
‘Frankly my dear - I DO
give a damn.’ Rhett Butler
starts off seventh in the
chip count.
success to mentor Johnny
Chan. This is Jamie’s 15th
time to cash in a major
poker tournament, and his
first time ever to make it
to a WSOP final table. He
has been the most dominant player in the championship event over the past
four days - and has been
the chip leader since Day
Three. Gold is dedicating
himself to winning the
world championship for
his ailing father, who is
in the late stages of ALS
(Lou Gehrig’s Disease).
He says, ‘I want to make
him proud for the little
time he has left.’ Gold is
the chip leader at today’s
final table.
RIO ALL-SUITES CASINO
2006 WORLD
SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #39
8/10/06
WSOP
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
CHAMPIONSHIP
BUY-IN $10,000
PLAYERS 8773
PRIZE
POOL
SEAT 9: Rhett Butler
Hometown:
Rockville, Maryland
Rhett Butler is a 44year-old insurance
agent from Rockville,
Maryland. Originally
from Baltimore, Rhett
is married and has three
children. He holds a college degree from James
Madison University and
has been playing poker
$82,676,084
Jamie Gold
1. Jamie Gold . . . .$12,000,000
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J. A..............$60
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1.
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3.
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Rick Wright............ $1000
Phil Ball ................. $600
B.S........................... $360
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Players 40
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1.
2.
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Clyde Coleman.......$4365
Dick Barrett ..........$2700
Mark Toby..............$1650
Manny Mejia .........$985
Exit 1 or 5
off I-44
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
19
The Losing Streak
You have been playing the same tightaggressive style of poker that you always
POKER COUNSELOR
By John Carlisle, MA, NCC
have. You have been frequenting the same
card rooms, playing the same limits, and facing many of
the same old competitors. You thought that you have
been playing pretty good poker, but the slimming bankroll
does not support that idea. Instead, you have been on a
brutal downward spiral. You take more bad beats in one
night than you used to take in a week. Your usually effective bluffs have been running into monster hands. No
matter what tactics you employ, it seems like there is no
hope. You have become a losing player, and it is scary as
hell.
Losing has a way of devouring confidence and energy.
Sports Psychologists see it all of the time in every game
and sporting contest. Many football aficionados, for
instance, blame the Detroit Lions’ team struggles for
the individual emotional disenchantment (and premature
retirement) of all-time great running back Barry Sanders.
You see, steady losing causes an emotional cesspool.
Perhaps the most damaging feeling that emerges from this
pit is self-doubt. The mind starts to subconsciously swirl
thoughts such as, “Maybe I am not as good as I thought
I was?” With that, an aura of confusion has us questioning our decision making, our skills, our abilities, and our
instincts. As the confidence unravels, it becomes nearly
impossible to passively work back towards the winning
ways. There is a certain truth to the thinking that losing is
a mindset. Likewise, there is certainly plenty of evidence
that points to the fact that losing breeds more losing.
So, it takes a focused effort to break yourself from the
losing pattern. It is not as easy as some might say. I’ve
read advice from poker insiders advocating for taking a
break from the game when times are tough. I’ve also seen
the idea written to play at micro-limits and play reckless,
maniac-style poker just to get the anger out. These sorts
of tactics are amateurish and usually unsuccessful. We
can’t run from our emotions, and we can’t run from the
game. Instead, we must find a way to play through the
tough times. We must each find our own inner strength
and focus to continue to perform under duress. Put simply, we need to continue to play well, and play confidently,
even when the cards are not cooperating. There is a
distinct difference between getting bad cards and playing
badly. If your play is poor, fix it! If your cards are poor,
survive them until the luck swings.
Even the most veteran of poker players can feel self
doubt seep into their mindset during the midst of a losing streak. An ounce of second-guessing yourself at the
poker table can be a flashing neon sign for poker sharks to
swoop in and attack. Confidence may be the single most
important trait a player must carry at the table. With that
in mind, it is inexcusable to sit at the table and doubt your
ability. It is almost assuring your downfall. Harness your
own thoughts. Ignite your own internal fires. In poker,
you are often times your own coach. Provide yourself
with the needed psychological boost by establishing that
desire, focus, and positivism. If you believe that you can
overcome the losing streak, you just might do it. If you
are uncertain that you can overcome it, you are doomed
to wallow in mediocrity.
Now go make it happen.
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].
20
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
Card Cager
Aboard
A Joe & Hobby fiction by
David J. Valley
For the past five days
aboard Global Home I ran
the gamut of emotions
from the doldrums of incarceration to the exultation of
catching the criminal that
some thought was me. My
only gripe was that I had
yet to play a hand of poker.
“Don’t sweat it, Joe.
You’ll have all the poker
you want for the rest of the
cruise.”
I had joined Hobby in
New Orleans to share his
4,000 square foot condo
and all the amenities of
this cruise ship of the
super-rich. When we reach
Venezuela, I’ll fly back to
L.A., but for five days it’s
poker time!
“Hobby, how about getting up a private game
before the casino opens in
the evening?”
“Don’t have to. We’ve
been asked to join a game
at Paul Landers’ place—at
two this afternoon.”
“Great! What do you
know about the players?”
“Not much except
they’ve got money. Don’t
think there are any ringers,
however, Dr. Fill has been
invited to play. Since he’s
the guest lecturer and poker
expert, he’s not allowed to
play in the casino.”
“Do you think Dr. Fill
knows we’re not quite novices?”
“Nah, he’s an East coast
guy. I don’t think he made
the connection between us
and the Third Eye Team.”
“Good, let’s keep it that
way. I’d like to lie in the
weeds and see if I can sandbag the pro.” After I said it,
I realized how impossible
it is to go after a particular
player. Hell, coming out
ahead is challenge enough.
I was about to retract my
statement when Hobby said,
“Joe, that’d be fun and if
anyone can do it, you can.”
Hobby frequently overstates my prowess. It’s
nice to have a fan, but it’s
foolish to set unrealistic
expectations. “I’m afraid
my tongue was wagging
before I put my mind in
gear. Forget what I said
about Dr. Fill. I’ll play my
usual game.”
“No you won’t, Joe. I
know you, when you set
your mind to something,
you’ll find a way.”
“Forget it, Hobby. It’s off
the agenda.” I insisted.
“Sure it is, Joe,” Hobby
said with a wink.
I wish I had never
opened my big mouth. Why
would I go after Dr. Fill? I
had no reason except that
I thought he was a bit of a
windbag. Unfortunately, my
mind wouldn’t let go of the
idea. It’s like when someone says, “Don’t think of an
elephant.” Guess what? You
think of the damn elephant.
Landers had a big
condo onboard, much like
Hobby’s but decorated
with antiques, except for
the poker parlor. The large
room could have been a
guest suite, but with its
poker table, chairs, and bar,
its only function was obvious. During introductions,
tongue-in-cheek, I said, “A
pleasure to meet you, Dr.
Fill. I’ve enjoyed your lectures.”
“Well, I hope you’ve
learned something. You can
never know too much about
poker,” he said rather imperiously.
I bit my tongue and
smiled. Am I really setting
this guy up as a target?
Well, he is pompous and
boring, and I think he’s not
much of a poker expert, but
who am I to judge?
In a way I like lousy
hands at the beginning of a
match, it gives one a chance
to sit back and observe the
competition. Among the
eight other players perhaps
four were rank amateurs
who stayed to the river on
unlikely draws or weak
pairs. Dr. Fill must have
read the situation early on
also and bet aggressively
when he had fair-to-midlin’
hands, but an odd thing
happened—the novices
scored on one bad beat after
another. Dr. Fill’s grimaced
a shaky smile as he viewed
his seriously depleted stack
of chips. When he withdrew two C-notes from his
billfold for more chips, I
sneaked a peek. It looked
like it was on empty.
There hadn’t been
much table talk until Dr.
Fill began rather loud
recitations of poker stories,
which weren’t especially
entertaining. He was probably trying to cover up
the fact that he was doing
poorly. I wasn’t so hot
either. We’d played three
dozen hands before I hit a
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43. Paul Raeburn . . . . $247,399
54. Scott O’Reily . . . . . $164,932
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6. Esteban Urena . . . . $33,716
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44. John Lee . . . . . . . . $247,399
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55. John Ma . . . . . . . . $123,699
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45. James Routos . . . . $247,399
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57. Stefan Mattsson . . $123,699
5. Rhett Butler . . . .$3,216,182
46. Sean Johnson . . . . $164,932
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58. Aki Ruuskanen . . . $123,699
6. Richard Lee . . . .$2,803,851
47. Raphael Doromal . $164,932
Sweden
San Antonio, TX, USA
Gainesville, FL, USA
59. Max Reele . . . . . . . $123,699
7. Douglas Kim . . . .$2,391,520
48. David Murray . . . . $164,932
Fort Walton, FL, USA
Hartsdale, NY, USA
Dublin, Ireland
1. Anders Hedriksson $202,291
Santa Maria, CA, USA
49. Cheng Yu . . . . . . . . $164,932
60. Shannon Westbrook . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $123,699
Stockholm, Sweden
13. Adam Richardson . . $6,069
New York, NY, USA
Biloxi, MS, USA
2. Maureen Feduniak $108,564
San Diego, CA, USA
14. Jae Son . . . . . . . . . . . $6,069
8. Erik Friberg
AKA “Lilar” . . . .$1,979,189
Stockholm, Sweden
9. Dan Nassif . . . . . .$1,566,858
St. Louis, MO, USA
10. Fred Goldberg . .$1,154,527
Hollywood, FL, USA
11. Leif Force . . . . . .$1,154,527
Seattle, WA, USA
2006 WORLD
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8. Tam Nguyen . . . . . . $20,229
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9. Lance Fryrear . . . . . $13,486
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10. Victor Villasenor . . . . $7,417
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PLAYERS 494
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11. Joel Casper . . . . . . . . $7,417
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12. Steve Balezentes . . . . $7,417
61. Chris Damick . . . . $123,699
Las Vegas, NV, USA
Essex, United Kingdom
Rochester, NY, USA
3. Phil Hellmuth Jr . . . $53,945
Santa Monica, CA, USA
51. Nicolai Vivet . . . . . $164,932
62. Kenneth Jacobs . . $123,699
Palo Alto, CA, USA
15. Steve Warr . . . . . . . . $6,069
Denmark
Aurora, CO, USA
4. Michael Mateo . . . . $47,202
Salt Lake City, UT, USA
52. Michael Bower . . . $164,932
63. Bryan Micon . . . . . $123,699
Milwaukee, WI, USA
50. Richard Gryko . . . $164,932
Las Vegas, NV, USA
5. Lee Markholt . . . . . $40,459
Tallahassee, FL, USA
Eatonville, WA, USA
12. John Magill . . . . .$1,154,529
13. William Thorson . $907,128
Varberg, Sweden
14. Luke Chung . . . . . $907,128
USA
15. Kevin Aaronson . . $907,128
16. Sirious Jamshidi . . $659,730
17. Jeffrey Lisandro . . $659,730
Salerno, Italy
18. David Einhorn . . . $659,730
NY
19. Dustin Holmes . . . $494,797
Atlanta, GA, USA
20. Prahlad Friedman $494,797
21. Kevin O’Donnell . . $494,797
Scottsdale, AZ, USA
22. Lee Kort . . . . . . . . $494,797
23. Rob Roseman . . . . $494,797
Miami, FL, USA
24. Eric Lynch . . . . . . . $494,797
Olathe, KS, USA
25. Mark Garner . . . . $494,797
St Amant, LA, USA
26. Siddarth Jain . . . . $494,797
27. Richard Wyrick . . $494,797
Lake Mary, FL, USA
28. Lowell Kim . . . . . . $329,865
Las Vegas, NV, USA
29. Mitch Schock . . . . $329,865
Bismarck, ND, USA
30. Cuong Do . . . . . . . $329,865
Toronto, ON, Canada
31. Eric Molina . . . . . . $329,865
Mission Viejo, CA, USA
32. Dan Schmiech . . . . $329,865
Houston, TX, USA
33. Rob Berryman . . . $389,865
Killen, AL, USA
34. Andrew Schreibman . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $389,865
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35. Ricki Nielsen . . . . . $389,865
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36. Humberto Brenes . $329,865
Miami, FL, USA
37. Kyle Bowker . . . . . $247,399
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38. Robert Betts . . . . . $247,399
Albuquerque, NM, USA
39. Marc Friedman . . $247,399
Zurich, Switzerland
40. Weikai Chang . . . . $247,399
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41. Michael Thuritz . . $247,399
Stockholm, Sweden
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
21
was when I was teaching
ewey Tomko might
school.”
have remained a
His first trip to the World
school teacher, but
Series in1974, he simply
his skills as a poker player
threw caution to the winds
make that unlikely.
and told the people at
“The most money I ever
school he was a little under
made as a teacher,” he says,
the weather, had the flu or
“was $6,400.”
something and wasn’t going
Hard to give his family
to be at work for a
even a taste of the better
while.
things in life on that kind of
In Las Vegas,
salary.
So he turned
to poker a little
bit at a time.
“My first
six and a half
BY PHIL HEVENER
years out of
he found the
college I taught school . . .
side games
taught kindergarten.”
But poker was proving to particularly
to his likbe an effective distraction.
ing and remembers coming
It got so he was calling
out a winner about 30 of the
in sick. The poker action
31 times he sat down to play.
that was helping him sup“Back then there was
port his family was too good
more emphasis on the side
to leave. Tomko eventually
looked at himself in the mir- games than there is now.
I had heard people say I
ror and realized it was time
should be careful about
to make a change.
getting into some of these
Trying to continue doing
games, but to me it all
both was costing him too
much money in terms of lost looked like a big piece of
chocolate cake . . .
profits from poker.
“I went home know“I couldn’t go out on the
ing then that I was going to
road because I had to go to
be all right in the world of
work.”
poker.”
Tomko had seen where
The so-called main event
the money was. It was time
was not such a big deal in
to do what seemed reasonthe early 1970s. Neither were
able. This kind of career
some of the other WSOP
planning eventually brought
events. There was something
the Central Florida man to
called the “Businessman’s
Las Vegas.
Tournament,” an event
It seems like a lifetime
designed for people who
ago, remembering now how
were not poker pros but suphe first heard people whetposedly had other business
ting his appetite with talk
about the poker games in Las interests.”
Tomko rationalized that
Vegas and Benny Binion’s
big annual tournament at the as a school teacher he had
other business interests, so
Horseshoe.
Tomko was making good he got into that one year and
got a bracelet.
use of the summer vacation
“Sometimes in those days
months he received as a
they would play down to
school teacher, traveling to
about four places and whoLas Vegas for two or three
ever had the most money got
months at a time, usually
the bracelet.”
spending much of his time
He has had good sucin the Golden Nugget’s card
cess in tournaments over the
room, making the kind of
years. That success included
money that would never
other World Series of Poker
be possible if he continued
bracelets. He won a no limit
trying to live on a teacher’s
hold ‘em event in 1979. He
salary.
“People told me when the added first place finishes
in deuce to the 7 draw and
World Series was and I told
Omaha pot limit hold ‘em,
them, no, I couldn’t get here
because that (April and May) in 1984.
D
PLAYER
Profile
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.
22
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
But people who have followed the World Series for
more than a few years also
have clear recollections of
Tomko’s role in poker events
he did NOT win.
There was his second
place to Jack Straus, the winner of the 1982 main event.
That was
the year
Straus was
sold his interest in the casino
to his sister Becky Behnen
and some of his high-rolling poker buddies took their
action elsewhere as a show
of support.
Tomko and Binion have
been good friends for years
but the family squabble did
not get in the way of his
regular visits to the World
Series.
One good
thing leading
to another, as
it often does,
Tomko’s success as a poker
player led to friendships and
opportunities that have been
leveraged into a wide assortment of businesses.
He owns a golf course,
a casino in San Jose, Costa
Rica and the list goes on.
The Horseshoe Costa Rica,
as the casino is known,
makes Tomko think of the
old Horseshoe on Fremont
– “the way it used to be . .
. nothing fancy but we deal
good limits.”
Both Brunson and Binion
are partners in at least some
of these ventures.
Tomko has let his focus
shift over the years as his
interests have accelerated or
waned in one area or another.
Success at poker did not
come naturally. He had to
work at it. And he did. He
would at one point develop a
passion for golf that resulted
in less time at the poker
tables for 10-12 years, even
though the annual trips to
Las Vegas continued.
He approached golf
with the kind of dedication
that eventually made him a
scratch player.
And so he looks out
across the landscape of his
life and find himself wondering what he should be doing
now.
“Everything I do in life
. . . well, I’ve just got to
keep doing things. Once I
accomplish certain things I
get bored and I have to try
new things.”
Tomko remembers that
putting up the $10,000 the
first time he entered the main
event felt like one of the
biggest challenges he had
ever faced.
This was 1974, a time
when $10,000 looked like a
lot more money than it does
now. Thinking about that,
remembering how it was, “I
put up eight thousand and I
had a couple of other guys
DEWEY
Tomko
rising from the
table figuring he
was broke only to
discover one $500
chip under a napkin. This
was the tournament that saw
the first million-dollar pot
ever. There were 104 players
in the main event, the first
time the total had exceeded
100.
Tomko finished second to
Carlos Mortenson who won
the World Series championship in 2001.
But in 1982 Tomko finished second in all four of
the so-called main events
held at that time: at the
World Series, the Golden
Nugget’s Grand Prix of
Poker, Amarillo Slim’s Super
Bowl of Poker and the big
tournament sponsored by
Bob Stupak at what was then
Vegas World.
Tomko recently found
himself reminiscing about
the events that have brought
him to where he was this
past July, getting ready to
participate in yet another
main event at the World
Series of Poker.
How long has this been
going on?
Long enough to put him
in the record book.
“Thirty-two straight years
is what it’s been including this year. I’ve got the
record for that, except I’m
not sure anyone knows it.
There’s someone else with
27, maybe 28 years, but I’ve
got the record because there
was some years when people
like Chip (Reese) and Doyle
(Brunson) took some time
off.”
That was a reference
to those years in the 1990s
when Horseshoe owner Jack
Binion who oversaw the
growth of the World Series
was arguing with his sister
over the control and operation of the Horseshoe. Binion
buy a piece of my action
with a thousand each.”
Which got him thinking
about the fiftythousand he
recently used to buy his way
into the H.O.R.S.E. tournament at this year’s World
Series.
“I was talking with a
newspaper guy who asks
me what it felt like to put up
fifty thousand to play poker
because that was more than
he makes in a year and I was
telling him that back when I
put up that first ten thousand
it felt like more money than
fifty thousand does now.”
But it has been a long,
long time since Tomko
found it necessary to resort
to backers.
Tomko’s dad was not
a gambler, but both of his
grandfather’s were. One
of them was a professional
gambler, and the other, “I
never saw him without a
deck of cards in his hand.
My dad and my mother they
played cards, some, but nothing like my grandfathers.”
Playing for a living, the
59-year-old Tomko learned
to play all games. It was the
only way to survive when a
gambler never knew what
kind of situation was going
to be tossed at him. The
game of the day might be
stud, high-low split . . . a
gambler had to be ready.
“Deuce to the seven, I
play that real good, but I’ve
learned to play all the games.
The kids starting out now,
all they seem to think about
is no limit hold ‘em. A man
walking down the street can
win a poker tournament now.
All you’ve got to do is play
no limit hold ‘em, what with
the way they have some of
these tournaments structured.
He gives that thought
a slow smile as though to
say times certainly have
changed.
Tomko is another of the
old timers who hasn’t had
a lot of interest in adding
Internet poker to his sprawling array of business deals.
There is one exception, but
he says it has nothing to do
with trying to turn a profit.
“I do support
DoylesRoom.com because
he’s a friend and has been for
a long time. I do what I can
to help promote it. I wear
his stuff at tournaments, but
that’s a friendship thing.”
Tomko’s son Doug has
become a successful poker
WSOP at the Rio
16. Roland Israelashvili . $4,720
12. Davood Mehrmand . $7,222
7. William Chen . . . . . $22,932
2. Stuart Fox . . . . . . . . $79,061
Forest Hill, NY, USA
Frankfurt, Germany
Lafayette Hill, PA, USA
Birmingham, United Kingdom
16. Kris Fields . . . . . . . . . $3,953
Harrison, OH, USA
17. Waheed Ashraz . . . . . $4,720
13. John Michael . . . . . . $5,909
8. Randall Holland . . . $17,199
3. Oter Stevn . . . . . . . . $39,530
17. Marcus Hodge . . . . . $3,953
United Kingdom
Henderson, NV, USA
Winnetka, CA, USA
Israel
Atlanta, GA, USA
18. Mike Landers . . . . . . $4,720
14. David Babione . . . . . $5,909
9. Kevin Koch . . . . . . . $11,466
4. Todd Witteles . . . . . $34,589
18. Jeff Schriebmann . . . $3,953
Las Vegas, NV, USA
Freemont, OH, USA
Ploughquag, NY, USA
Las Vegas, NV, USA
Dunn Loring, VA, USA
15. Chris McCormack . . $5,909
10. Jonathan Caplan . . . $6,306
5. Andrew Dean . . . . . $29,648
Las Vegas, NV, USA
London, United Kingdom
Houston, TX, USA
16. Donald Rihn . . . . . . . $4,596
11. Tom McEvoy AKA
“pokerchump” . . . . . $6,306
6. Robert Wing . . . . . . $24,707
2006 WORLD
SERIES OF POKER
Bloomer, WI, USA
Jacksonville Beach, FL, USA
8/8/06
17. Joanne “JJ” Liu . . . . $4,596
Las Vegas, NV, USA
7. Kobie West . . . . . . . $19,765
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
Las Vegas, NV, USA
12. Steven Stockton . . . . $6,306
Deptford, NJ, USA
18. Nelson Tum . . . . . . . . $4,596
Roseburg, OR, USA
8. Terry Leger . . . . . . . $14,824
San Diego, CA, USA
13. Bob Feduniak . . . . . . $5,160
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Las Vegas, NV, USA
9. Mark McCluskey . . . $9,883
14. Blake Buffington AKA . . . . .
“DoubleLucky” . . . . . $5,160
10. Eric Seiz . . . . . . . . . . $5,930
Arlington, TX, USA
Springfield, IL, USA
15. Jeff Gross . . . . . . . . . $5,160
12. Daniel Benjamin . . . . $5,930
Leucadia, CA, USA
Durham, NC, USA
16. Sean Dempsey . . . . . . $4,013
13. Kenneth Zalud . . . . . $4,941
Las Vegas, NV, USA
Colbert, WA, USA
EVENT #44
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 481
PRIZE
POOL
$656,565
1. Kevin Cover . . . . . $196,968
Oyster Bay Cove, NY, USA
2. Joseph Brandenburg . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $105,707
Portland, OR, USA
3. Joshua Tieman . . . . $52,525
2006 WORLD
SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #43
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM\
BUY-IN $1,500
Kildeer, IL, USA
4. Jim Nguyen . . . . . . . $45,960
St. Petersburg, FL, USA
5. Marcus Collins . . . . $39,394
Perth, Australia
6. Eric Baldwin . . . . . . $32,828
Beaver Dam, WI, USA
7. Tommy Chaney . . . $26,263
Marble Falls, TX, USA
8. Matthew Helyer . . . $19,697
Deluth, GA, USA
9. Robert Perry . . . . . . $13,131
Highlands Bch, FL, USA
10. Peter Smyth . . . . . . . $7,222
Wigan, United Kingdom
11. Lloyd Shinn . . . . . . . . $7,222
Coppell, TX, USA
8/7/06
PLAYERS 420
PRIZE
POOL
$573,300
17. Jeff Frerichs . . . . . . . $4,013
14. Don Barton . . . . . . . . $4,941
Las Vegas, NV, USA
Pahrump, NV, USA
18. Erik Anderson . . . . . $4,013
15. Davood Mehrmand . $4,941
Bodoe, Norway
Frankfurt, Germany
1. Kevin Nathan AKA
“The Father” . . . . $171,987
Roseville, CA, USA
2. J C Tran . . . . . . . . . $92,301
Sacramento, CA, USA
3. Marc Naalden . . . . . $45,864
Netherlands
4. Joel Devries . . . . . . . $40,131
Corrollton, MO, USA
2006 WORLD
SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #41
8/5/06
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 1007
PRIZE
POOL
$1,374,555
1. Paul Koble . . . . . . . $316,144
Oakland, CA, USA
2. Tyler Andrews . . . . $164,947
Las Vegas, NV, USA
3. Ralph Perry . . . . . . $95,532
Las Vegas, NV, USA
4. Shayam Stinivasan . $68,728
Canada
2006 WORLD
SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #42
Wow! Satellites for the
8/6/06
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $1,500
5. Can Kim Hua . . . . . $34,398
Rosemead, CA, USA
PLAYERS 365
PRIZE
POOL
$494,130
6. Juan Carlos Alvarado
AKA “J.C.” . . . . . . . $28,665
1. Jim Mitchell . . . . . $154,173
McAllen, TX, USA
Newport Beach, CA, USA
Heavyweight
Championship
of Poker—
Now in
Las Vegas!
SEE PAGE 33
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
23
Using Your IMAGE. . .
BIKE: Legends of Poker in Full Sw
SENIORS SCENE
3. Van Tuyet Nguyen . . $8,880
Bell Gardens, CA, USA
By George “The engineer” EPSTEIN
Here’s a key chart I present in my WINNING
Poker Seminars. It’s a great away to introduce
the seminar to the attendees.
Poker is a game of:
• Information
• Probability
• Psychology
• Patience & Perseverance
• Money Management
• Gaining the “Edge”
• Image
• A Sort of Investment
In a previous column, I told you about poker being “A Sort of
Investment.” Well, the other night, while playing $4-$8 hold’em
at the Hustler Casino, I went home a WINNER because poker is
also a game of IMAGE.
To explain: Just as you are evaluating your opponents based
on how they play their hands, they are doing the same to you.
Based on that assessment, you have “earned” an IMAGE.
My Image. . . I know my image: I’m tight and aggressive. I
call preflop when my hole cards meet my standards -- relying on
my Hold’em Algorithm to make it easy to make that determination.) And I play aggressively, raising when I feel it is appropriate. So that’s my image; I don’t try to disguise it.
Lots of Action. . . I was the oldest player at that table. My
opponents were all young men in their 20s and 30s. And they
wanted action -- lots of raising and reraising. Almost every
other hand was raised the maximum (three raises to “cap” it)
preflop, and sometimes during later rounds of betting. So the
pots were large. . .
Because that game had so much “action” preflop, I generally
avoided marginal drawing hands, staying in with made hands or
premium drawing hands.
So I Took Advantage of My Image! Actually it’s not very
hard to do. When I entered the fray, calling preflop, they knew
I had a strong opening hand. But they didn’t know what hole
cards I held. Just the same, they joined the preflop action, and
even called when I raised after the flop.
With A-10 of hearts, I caught four-to-the-nut flush on the
flop; and there were five opponents still in the hand. I raised
because I had a positive expectation: With the card odds of
1.86-to-1 against me, I was getting the best of it if two or more
opponents called my raise on the flop. Of course they had
no way of knowing that I had a drawing hand; they probably
assumed I had a high pocket pair. In fact, one opponent shouted
across the table: “Pocket aces, huh?” I smiled at him. He
called as did three others. Lots of action!
When the turn didn’t help me, and the board was not threatening, I decided to bet again. Now I was making a semi-bluff. I
had hoped to catch the flush on the turn. Alas, it didn’t happen.
. . I needed another heart for the flush. Two opponents folded
when I bet. Now there were just two opponents still in the hand.
The river was another blank. There was nothing higher than
a jack on the board. They both checked to me. I bet – with
nothing but four-to-a-flush, Ace high. The young man who had
queried me at the start about my hand, thought for a long time
– or so it seemed. And then he folded. Whew! So did the other
young man. I dragged in a big pot – thanks to my image! Maybe
I was lucky too. . .
Guess what: A few hands later, I had another opportunity
to bluff. Again, because of my IMAGE, they let me take the pot
from them. Of course, I used the “Esther Bluff” both times.
That was two out of two tries for the night. And, thanks to
my IMAGE – and the “Esther Bluff” – I was able to go home a
WINNER!
So, readers, what’s YOUR opinion?
George “The Engineer” Epstein is the author of The
Greatest Book of Poker for Winners! and Hold’em or
Fold’em? – An Algorithm for Making the Key Decision
(T/C Press, PO Box 36006, Los Angeles, CA 90036) He
teaches poker courses and the Poker Lab at the Claude
Pepper Sr. Citizen Center under the auspices of the City
of Los Angeles Dept. of Recreation and Parks. George can
be reached by e-mail: [email protected].
24
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
PLAYERS 158
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT #4
8/6/06
WPT EVENT SEASON 5
PRIZE POOL
LEGENDS OF POKER
4. Freddy Lagospi . . . . . $5,610
5. Alan Steinberg . . . . . $4,205
Gardena, CA, USA
$47,400
6. Adam Kagin . . . . . . . $3,270
Al Barbieri
Henderson, NV, USA
7. Eric Arreca . . . . . . . . $2,335
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
XTRA SPORTS 570
1. Al Barbieri AKA
“Sugar Bear” . . . . . $18,960
8. Vic O. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,870
Glendale, CA, USA
2. Saundra Taylor . . . . . $9,480
9. Joe Saccone . . . . . . . . $1,635
Las Vegas, NV, USA
Venice, CA, USA
3. Marshall Kim . . . . . . $4,740
Monterey Park, CA, USA
4. Hank Castillo . . . . . . $2,845
Long Beach, CA, USA
BUY-IN $350 + $40
PLAYERS 285
PRIZE POOL
$83,000
Richard Rivlin
1. Richard Rivlin . . . . $31,125
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT #9
8/11/06
WPT EVENT SEASON 5
5. Andy Sacino . . . . . . . $2,370
Laguna Hills, CA, USA
Lawndale, CA, USA
2. Louise Francoeur . . $15,355
LEGENDS OF POKER
6. Michael Krescanko . $1,895
Juno Beach, FL, USA
SHOOTOUTNO LIMIT HOLD’EM
Phoenix, AZ, USA
3. Harold Cohen . . . . . . $7,470
7. Tony Grand . . . . . . . . $1,420
Chatsworth, CA, USA
4. Kellie Brown . . . . . . . $4,980
BUY-IN $300 + $30
PLAYERS 236
8. Barrett Heins . . . . . . . .$950
Tustin, CA, USA
Encino, CA, USA
5. Emidio Padillo . . . . . $3,735
9. Clark Warren . . . . . . . .$710
Long Beach, CA, USA
6. Ronald McLoud . . . . $2,905
La Crescenta, CA, USA
PRIZE POOL
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT #6
8/8/06
WPT EVENT SEASON 5
$70,800
Robert Ozeran
1. Robert Ozeran . . . . $27,500
2. Tamer Elsayed . . . . $13,450
Riverside, CA, USA
3. Soo Pai . . . . . . . . . . . . $6,370
Glendale, CA, USA
4. Dustin West . . . . . . . . $4,250
Riverside, CA, USA
5. David Chase . . . . . . . $3,185
LEGENDS OF POKER
BUY-IN $200 + $30
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT #3
8/5/06
WPT EVENT SEASON 5
PLAYERS 443
REBUYS 287
Omar Vachhani
8. Steve Akca . . . . . . . . . $1,405
Van Nuys, CA, USA
9. Graham Duke . . . . . . $1,060
Kitchener, ON, Canada
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BOUNTY
BUY-IN $350 + $40
1. Omar Vachhani . . . $54,020
Artesia, CA, USA
2. Michael Suh . . . . . . $26,645
Lake Forest, CA, USA
3. Van Zakaeian . . . . . $13,140
4. Benjamin Nissanoff . $8,760
5. Richard Russell . . . . $6,570
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT #8
8/10/06
WPT EVENT SEASON 5
Granada Hills, CA, USA
6. David Phelps . . . . . . . $5,110
Lake Balboa, CA, USA
LEGENDS OF POKER
7. Lance Allred . . . . . . . $3,650
ACE TO FIVE DRAW
8. Geoffrey Wright . . . . $2,920
BUY-IN $500 + $50
Hollywood, CA, USA
9. Eli Strickland . . . . . . $2,190
San Dimas, CA, USA
PLAYERS 71
$35,500
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT #5
8/7/06
WPT EVENT SEASON 5
Vince Burgio
LEGENDS OF POKER
PRIZE POOL
1. Vince Burgio . . . . . . $14,200
West Hills, CA, USA
OMAHA HI/LO
BUY-IN $300 + $40
2. Bob Addison . . . . . . . $8,165
Simi Valley, CA, USA
3. Kirk Morrison . . . . . $4,260
Wichita, KS, USA
4. Stephen Woon . . . . . . $2,485
Hesperia, CA, USA
5. Al Barbieri AKA
“Sugar Bear” . . . . . . $2,130
6. Jim Schmidt . . . . . . . $1,775
Spokane, WA, USA
7. Ewald Barth . . . . . . . $1,420
8. Irv Warsaw . . . . . . . . $1,065
San Bernardino, CA, USA
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT #7
8/9/06
WPT EVENT SEASON 5
PLAYERS 347
PRIZE POOL
$121,450
Patrick Hsu
1. Patrick Hsu AKA
“El Vaquero” . . . . . $39,040
Newhall, CA, USA
2. Sean Riley . . . . . . . . $19,260
Burbank, CA, USA
3. Benjamin Nguyen . . . $9,370
Simi Valley, CA, USA
4. Roberto Macatangay $6,250
Arcadia, CA, USA
5. Henry Antanesian . . . $4,685
6. Hollywood Tony
Kayden . . . . . . . . . . . $3,650
Hollywood, CA, USA
7. Ron Jenkins . . . . . . . $2,605
El Monte, CA, USA
8. James Harris . . . . . . . $2,080
Calabasas, CA, USA
9. Sung Lee . . . . . . . . . . $1,560
Conoga Park, CA, USA
PLAYERS 201
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT #2
8/4/06
WPT EVENT SEASON 5
PRIZE POOL
$60,300
LEGENDS OF POKER
Jack Larson
1. Jack Larson . . . . . . $22,615
Golden, CO, USA
2. Phillip Penn . . . . . . . $11,155
Omaha, NE, USA
LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $300 + $40
PLAYERS 215
3. Moe Jazayeri . . . . . . . $5,430
Berkeley, CA, USA
PRIZE POOL
4. Michael Krescanko . $3,620
Phoenix, AZ, USA
$64,500
5. Fred Legaspi . . . . . . . $2,715
Karlo Gharabegian
6. Jason Katsutani . . . . $2,110
LEGENDS OF POKER
7. Michael Lemkin . . . . $1,510
7 CARD STUD
HI/LO
8. Boris Kostov . . . . . . . $1,210
BUY-IN $300 + $40
LEGENDS OF POKER
PRIZE POOL
6. Peter Nguyen AKA
“glock” . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,480
Garden Grove, CA, USA
Northridge, CA, USA
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
REBUY ONE ONLY
$146,000
Westminster, CA, USA
Escondido, CA, USA
8. Bob Glass . . . . . . . . . $1,660
9. Michael Simhai . . . . . $1,245
Alameda, CA, USA
7. Martin Pham . . . . . . $1,770
7. Anthony Rosales . . . . $2,075
Santa Monica, CA, USA
Van Nuys, CA, USA
9. Kim Fontes . . . . . . . . . .$905
Oceanside, CA, USA
1. Karlo Gharabegian $24,185
Glendale, CA, USA
2. Michael Poirier . . . . $11,930
Alhambra, CA, USA
3. Bob Simmons . . . . . . $5,805
Covina CA
4. Geoffrey Wright . . . . $3,870
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9. Wayne Smith . . . . . . . . .$165
ENDLESS SUMMER 8/15/06
5. Kyle D. Miaso . . . . . . $2,900
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
Scottsdale, AZ, USA
BUY-IN $20 + $15
PLAYERS 133
REBUYS 494
ADD-ONS 177
PRIZE POOL
6. Amy Lambo
AKA “Coach” . . . . . . $2,255
Upland, CA, USA
7. Craig Repoz . . . . . . . $1,610
Anaheim, CA, USA
9. Kim Lim . . . . . . . . . . . .$965
La Puente, CA, USA
BICYCLE CASINO
EVENT #1
8/3/06
WPT EVENT SEASON 5
LEGENDS OF POKER
$18,485
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
Larry Rieder
BUY-IN $200 + $30
PLAYERS 657
PRIZE POOL
$123,660
Robert Najera
1. Robert Najera
AKA “MR.POKER” $45,965
2. Gary Childress . . . . $22,730
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Larry Rieder . . . . . . . $7,400
Sep Ebrahimi . . . . . . . $3,695
Jason Schulenburg . . $1,850
Jeffrey Yagher . . . . . . $1,200
Saied Salami. . . . . . . . . .$925
Jaime De La Cruz . . . . .$645
Gilbert Gaines . . . . . . . .$460
Bob Glass . . . . . . . . . . . .$370
Benjamin Taylor . . . . . .$275
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $60 + $15
BUY-IN $60 + $15
PLAYERS 111
REBUYS 81
PRIZE
POOL
5. Raed Abukartomy . . $5,255
$10,940
Huntington Beach, CA, USA
6. Vince Garrido . . . . . . $3,940
Las Vegas, NV, USA
7. Sung Lee . . . . . . . . . . $3,285
Conoga Park, CA, USA
8. Do Kim . . . . . . . . . . . $2,630
Granada Hills, CA, USA
9. Agop “Jack”
Boghossian . . . . . . . . $1,970
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Tom Luu . . . . . . . . . . . $4,375
Jonathan Byars . . . . . $2,190
Andrew Roberts . . . . $1,095
Chris Bourlier . . . . . . . .$710
Zack Chun . . . . . . . . . . .$545
James Bullock . . . . . . . .$380
Jim Debeck. . . . . . . . . . .$270
Mark Tsvilin. . . . . . . . . .$220
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Larry Rieder
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Mark Dehan . . . . . . . . $5,900
Hao Le . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,950
Solo Scott . . . . . . . . . . $1,475
Mojuro Kimoto . . . . . . .$965
Dennis Thorn . . . . . . . . .$745
Ion Bugar . . . . . . . . . . . .$520
Makya McBee . . . . . . . .$370
Michael Mamann . . . . .$295
Gilbert Ortiz . . . . . . . . .$220
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $20 + $15
PLAYERS 115
REBUYS 387
ADD-ONS 133
PRIZE
POOL
$12,065
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Spencer Maze. . . . . . . $4,830
Scott Castle . . . . . . . . $2,415
Kevin Desouza . . . . . . $1,210
Tracy Groendyke . . . . . .$790
Yoon Kim . . . . . . . . . . . .$595
Lorne Cameron . . . . . . .$425
Harold Neal . . . . . . . . . .$300
Fernando Mendes . . . . .$240
Shawn Suzuki . . . . . . . .$180
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $60 + $15
PLAYERS 103
REBUYS 75
PRIZE
POOL
BUY-IN $60 + $15
PLAYERS 97
REBUYS 85
$9,745
PRIZE POOL
Nick Annunziata . . . . $3,900
Thien Ng . . . . . . . . . . . $2,240
James Trotter . . . . . . . $1,170
Jeffrey Kurtz . . . . . . . . .$680
Herb Ross . . . . . . . . . . . .$535
Michael Scovotti . . . . . .$440
Gleb Gofin . . . . . . . . . . .$340
7. Eric Somers . . . . . . . . . .$360
8. Raul Guzman . . . . . . . . .$260
9. Stuart Kinzey . . . . . . . . .$210
$14,715
PRIZE POOL
Larry Rieder
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
Huntington Beach, CA, USA
BUY-IN $20 + $15
PLAYERS 135
REBUYS 454
ADD-ONS 187
PRIZE POOL
PLAYERS 96
REBUYS 75
4. Matthew Perkins . . . $6,765
Marc Maxey . . . . . . . . $6,110
Steve Kahn . . . . . . . . . $3,065
Makya McBee . . . . . . $1,540
Gil Perez . . . . . . . . . . . . .$995
Khashayar Torkan . . . .$765
Pat Nugent . . . . . . . . . . .$535
Jay Scheman . . . . . . . . .$380
Josh Miller . . . . . . . . . . .$305
Doug Swartz. . . . . . . . . .$230
Whittier, CA, USA
3. John Hovnanian . . . $10,840
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
Larry Rieder
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $20 + $15
PLAYERS 64
REBUYS 583
ADD-ONS 226
PRIZE POOL
$15,275
8. Mark Saginor . . . . . . $1,290
8. Allen Mittleman. . . . . . .$245
9. Adam Strohl. . . . . . . . . .$195
$10,370
Larry Rieder
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Aidin Ghaffari . . . . . . $4,150
LD Gray . . . . . . . . . . . $2,385
Ian Keiser . . . . . . . . . . $1,245
Branden Bender . . . . . .$725
Donnie Misino . . . . . . . .$570
Thien Ng . . . . . . . . . . . . .$465
$10,145
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Barry Rosenstein . . . . $4,060
Michael Brooks . . . . . $2,030
Kim Solis . . . . . . . . . . $1,015
Sharon Mandelman. . . .$660
Shawn Suzuki . . . . . . . .$510
Manuel Lozano . . . . . . .$355
Jesse Fernandez . . . . . . .$255
Marc Maxey . . . . . . . . . .$205
Andre Cullins. . . . . . . . .$155
BACK ISSUES, SPECIAL FEATURES & UP-TO-THE MINUTE POKER INFO—
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Lessons
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No Limit
11 a.m.
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Sun./Mon./Wed. 1 p.m.
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Fri./Sat.
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www.imperialpalace.com
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
25
A Profusion of Poker
Publications
6. Chris Soloman . . . . $48,109
Richmond, IL, USA
By Byron Liggett
There are some 17 publications devoted to
Poker currently competing for a place at
the table. With only a couple of exceptions, all have been
launched in the past year or two in an effort to get aboard
the Poker Express. For most, it will be a short, quick ride.
These overnight, bet-on-the-come poker publications
are novice players. Their tactics are simple and superficial.
Glossy ‘n pretty, they have lots of photos of poker stars,
especially Doyle Brunson, and an article or two about someone we’re supposed to all know, written by someone we’re
supposed to all know.
Many of the magazines are All In, gambling they can win
enough advertising to be able to publish another issue or
two. In most cases, it’s a Bluff. These guys are short-stacks
just trying to stay in the game. After betting on an issue or
two, they’re losing and on Full Tilt.
For example, the strategy at Top Pair is to stay abreast of
the game. These boobs think “poker” is a sex act! Another
girlie publication tries to trick players by calling itself Poker:
The Magazine. However, as close as it comes are pages of
beautiful, bikini-clad women, some with cards strategically
placed on their tanned bodies.
There’s a new publication just for red-blooded Yankees
called the American Poker Player. If you’re in the US illegally, or you’re a citizen of another country (that means Canada
too!), you’re not supposed to read this magazine. Where that
leaves Puerto Ricans is unclear?
For the ladies, we now have Woman Poker Player.
Ironically, this magazine has far less sex and nakedness than
all the other new poker publications. Some male players may
feel a little uneasy reading it in public, while others prefer it.
Player, in GQ style, and the Esquire-like Poker Life, are both typical
contemporary men’s magazines. Pictures of beautiful models, editorial
pieces about the latest fashions, trends and interests only loosely connected to Poker fill the pages.
Action magazine is blunt about jumping on the Poker
bandwagon. In its debut issue the editor says his publication was “created to ride the wave” of the casino and poker
boom. He invites readers’ opinions, promising, “We will print
your brain farts….” Maybe they should change the name of
the publication to “Busted”?
There’s also a magazine called Poker Pro. It’s for and
about the 3% of players who are professionals. When you
quit your job, support yourself and your obligations from
playing poker, then you can read this magazine (if you can
afford it).
Handsome HighRoller, in its second issue, is another
elitist magazine directed only to those with class and cash.
Maybe you can find it at Bellagio, the Venetian or in Monte
Carlo, but you won’t see anybody reading it at Doc & Eddies
in Billings, the #10 Saloon in Deadwood, Harry’s Place in
Tacoma, or the Limelight Casino in Sacramento.
Another magazine you won’t find in those neighborhood
poker rooms is an old veteran, Card Player. The game’s glamour publication, it features poker stars, card celebrities, and
tournament icons. It’s the “movie star magazine” of Poker.
But the one that IS in local poker rooms, riverboats and
Native American casinos, as well as the most glamorous casinos, is the first and original -- POKER PLAYER. From Seattle
to San Diego, Billings to Buffalo, Oklahoma City to Atlantic
City, it’s what players read.
The most thoroughly distributed poker publication in the
USA, its readers are the vast majority of players in the poker
rooms of America. They’re the real players of Poker, not just
pros and celebrities.
Byron Liggett, originally from the Northwest, lives in Reno
and has been a gaming & poker writer, columnist and consultant for 25 years. email: [email protected]
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
5. Eric Deregt . . . . . . . $54,982
Grenwhich, CT, USA
NORTH BY NORTHWEST
26
WSOP at the Rio
7. Shreenwas Kelkar . $41,237
Kirkland, WA, USA
8. Johnathon Stamm . $34,364
Glenview, IL, USA
9. James Henson . . . . . $30,927
Lake Jackson, TX, USA
10. John Dibella . . . . . . $27,491
Cave Creek, AZ, USA
11. Ernesto Tohme . . . . $25,426
Venezuela
12. Lonnie Heimowitz . $23,367
Monticello, NY, USA
13. Michael Krantz . . . . $21,306
Clarence Ctr, NY, USA
14. Manish Patel . . . . . . $19,244
Burlington, NJ, USA
A Simple Plan: Praz
Bansi wins his first
WSOP Gold Bracelet—
London Consultant
makes good during the
not so main event
Nestled in the backdrop
of the camera crews and
countless numbers of
spectators, players vied
for $230,000 and a coveted championship bracelet during event #40 of
The two-day event began
with just over 1000 players and ended with only
40 after the first day.
While lacking the attention and prestige, the
final table of the $1,000
no-limit Hold’em event
displayed an array of
competitors as focused as
those participating in the
$10,000 main event that
encompassed it.
Name . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mark Petrrllo. . . . . .
Nick Memeti. . . . . . .
Baktash Gulzarzada
John Buttifant . . . . .
Fabrice Soulier . . . .
Earl Coggin . . . . . . .
Praz Bansi . . . . . . . .
Anh Lu . . . . . . . . . . .
N. Vijayan . . . . . . . .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Seat
...1
...2
...3
...4
...5
...6
...7
...8
...9
A couple of hands after
the final table was established, N. Vijayan was the
first to be eliminated. The
sales manager from Kuala
Lumpur hit the rails with
$20,020 only minutes
before the remaining
players recessed for dinner.
Shortly after the players returned from break,
Nick Memeti was the next
to go. Memeti called Anh
Lu’s pre-flop raise of 30k
and saw a 7c 4c 3h hit
the board. After the 2h
and 10c showed on the
turn and river Memeti
raised while Lu re-raised
all-in. Memeti called and
showed pocket 3’s for the
set. However, Lu’s turned
over A-5 giving him the
straight and Memeti an
eighth place finish.
Mark Petrillo helped to
further the adage about
pocket jacks as his all-in
against Fabrice Soulier’s
pocket As,Ah sent him to
the rail. Salt was added
to Petrillo’s wound as
Soulier flopped a set
before a meaningless turn
and river.
Next out was John
Buttifant. The 22-year old
college student moved
all-in while Soulier
called. Buttifant’s pocket
9’s could not hold up
against the Frenchman’s
A-6 as Ah showed on the
flop. The Kh on the turn
and the 5h river sealed
Butifant’s fate at sixth
place.
Earl Coggins was eliminated next after going
all-in with 6-8 suited.
Baktash Gulzarzada
called with Ad-Jc and
eliminated Coggins with
the high-card ace.
Soulier saw a 4th place
finish after being crippled
in a previous hand. His
all-in Qc-7c was called
by Lu’s 9c-Kc. Although
Soulier flopped a pair of
queens, jubilation turned
into defeat after Lu
caught a river Ks.
In third place was
Baktash Gulzarzada. The
Afghani-born mortgage
broker moved all in for
384k. Bansi called. His
Ah-Ks dominated Praz’s
As-8s while the board
failed to improve either
player’s hand.
Heads-up action pit
Praz Bansi against Anh
Lu who experienced one
of the most amazing
comebacks of this year’s
WSOP. Earlier in the
day, a bad beat left Lu
with a pitiful 10k stack.
Unwavering, he built his
stack back up to a phenomenal 250k through a
miracle three-way all-in, a
couple of more all-ins and
further aggressive preflop strategy.
“A miracle,” Lu
answered through his
interpreter and mentor, Men “The Master”
Nguyen when asked how
he was able to come back
from such a low stack.
However, Bansi was the
aggressor during heads-up
action forcing his opponent to fold four times
after reraising Lu preflop. Crippled, Lu could
only go all-in with 8s-3s
against Bansi’s ace-anything. An ace on the river
gave Bansi the victory.
“Amazing,” replied Bansi
when asked how it felt to
be a WSOP gold bracelet
winner. “I started with
1500 chips, and just threw
some up… I got moves,”
Bansi said with a grin.
2006 WORLD
SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #40
8/3/06
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
CHAMPIONSHIP
BUY-IN $1,000
PLAYERS 1100
PRIZE
POOL
$1,001,000
1. Praz Bansi . . . . . . . $230,209
2. Anh Lu . . . . . . . . . $120,120
OH, USA
3. Baktosh Gulzarzada $63,570
Ranch Cucamonga, CA, USA
4. Fabrice Soulier . . . . $50,050
Avignon, France
5. Earl Coggin . . . . . . . $40,040
Rockledge, FL, USA
6. John Buttifant . . . . . $35,035
Columbia, SC, USA
7. Mark Petrillo . . . . . $30,030
Indialantic, FL, USA
8. Nick Mehmeti . . . . . $25,025
Brookfield, IL, USA
9. Vijayan Nagarajan . $22,523
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
10. Hudson Bethard . . . $20,020
Brookhaven, PA, USA
11. Jong Choi . . . . . . . . $18,513
Columbus, OH, USA
12. Thomas Knudston . $17,017
Denmark
13. Arshad Hussain
AKA “mad m3” . . . $15,516
Accrington, United Kingdom
14. John Ghiloni . . . . . . $14,014
Newark, OH, USA
15. Bob Beck . . . . . . . . . $12,513
Redding, CA, USA
16. Jim Worth AKA . . . . . . . . . .
“KrazyKanuck” . . . $11,011
Toronto, ON, Canada
17. Eric Nelson . . . . . . . . $9,510
Sioux City, IA, USA
18. Al Mottur . . . . . . . . . $8,008
Washington, DC, USA
19. Duane VanKeulen . . . $6,507
Abbotsford, BC, Canada
20. Mark Jones . . . . . . . . $6,507
Manhatten Beach, CA, USA
21. Robert Puryear . . . . . $6,507
Winston Salem, NC, USA
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02829
30
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
Time. Some events
C start after the hour
...........AM, PM
O A,WkP................Week
..... Additional gameD &.times
on this day. Call.
E ........Hold’em
.No Limit Hold’em
.Limit Hold’em
N .............No Limit
L ................... Limit
.............Stud
..7-Card Stud
..5-Card Stud
........ Omaha
H/L .High/Low Split
Pi...........Pineapple
Po...........Pot Limit
Pn.........Panginque
Mx ..Mexican Poker
DC .Dealer’s Choice
MONDAY
•GOLD BAR DENOTES ADVERTISER
TIME
|
HH ...... Headhunter
B ............ Bounties
Sp .............. Spread
Al .........Alternates
Z........... Freezeout
Cz ................ Crazy
E..........Elimination
TUESDAY
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
Q ............... Qualify
Sh ...........Shootout
+ ..Re-Buys and/or
Add-Ons allowed
F ............... Freeroll
Lad ..... Ladies Only
Men ........Men Only
DAILY TOURNAMENTS
NOW! Get Tournament Listings at our website:
Note: All tournaments are subject to change. Check with the Cardroom for any updates. Cardrooms—
please send your schedules to Managing Editor A.R. Dyck, [email protected]
| WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
|
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
FRIDAY
| SATURDAY |
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
SUNDAY
GAMES BUY-IN
Aladdin
Caesars Palace
Cannery Casino
Circus Circus
Col.Belle-Laughlin
Flamingo Laughlin
NEVADA NORTH
LAS VEGAS & NEVADA SOUTH
Golden Nugget
Harrah’s Las Vegas
Mandalay Bay
$60
Nevada Palace
Oasis-Mesquite
Plaza Casino
Rio Suite Casino
River Palms
Riviera Poker Room
Speedway
Stardust
Virgin River Casino
Wynn Las Vegas
Atlantis Casino
Boomtown
Cactus Petes-Jackpot
Carson Valley Inn
Circus Circus
Eldorado
Harrah’s Reno
Peppermill
Rainbow Cas. W Wendover
Reno Hilton
DA I LY TO U R N A M E N T L I ST I N G S CO N T I N U E O N PAG E 32
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
31
Time. Some events &. ........ Additional
Limit Hold’em
start after the hour
gametimes. Call. N ..........No Limit
A, P ....... AM, PM
..... Hold’em L ................ Limit
Wk .............Week
.No Limit Hold’em
..........Stud
MONDAY
CALIFORNIA—SAN DIEGO &
INLAND EMPIRE
CALIFORNIALOS ANGELES
TIME
B ......... Bounties
T ............... Turbo
.7-Card Stud
..... Omaha Pi........Pineapple Pn......Panginque DCDealer’s Choice Sp ........... Spread
.5-Card Stud H/LHigh/Low Split Po........Pot Limit Mx .Mexican Poker HH ...Headhunter Al ......Alternates
DAILY TOURNAMENTS (CONT’D FROM PAGE 31)
|
TUESDAY
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
|
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
FRIDAY
Z........ Freezeout Sh ........Shootout
Cz ............. Crazy + Re-buys and/or
E...... Elimination Add-ons allowed
Q ............Qualify F ............Freeroll
| SATURDAY |
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
SUNDAY
GAMES BUY-IN
Commerce Club
Crystal Casino
Hawaiian Gardens
Hustler Casino
Normandie Casino
Casino Morongo
Casino Pauma
Harrah’s Rincon
Lucky Lady
Oceans Eleven
Sycuan
Viejas
Village Club
CALIFORNIA—NORTH
Artichoke Joe’s
Cache Creek
California Grand
Casino San Pablo
Club One Casino, Fresno
Colusa Casino
Feather Falls Cas., Oroville
Garden City
Gold Country Cas.-Oroville
Gold Rush
Golden West-Bakersfield
Kelly’s Cardroom
Limelight Cardroom-Sac’to
Lucky Chances
Lucky Derby Casino
Oaks Card Club-Emeryville
Sonoma Joe’s
Tachi Palace Casino
SOUTHWEST
Blue Water Casino
Bucky’s Casino
AZ
Casino Del Sol
Cliff Castle
Fort McDowell
Gila River/Wild Horse Pass
CO
KS
Gila River-Vee Quiva
Harrah’s Ak Chin
Hon-Dah Casino
Paradise Casino
Gilpin Hotel & Casino
Midnight Rose-Cripple Crk
Ute Mountain
Harrah’s Prarie Band
DA I LY TO U R N A M E N T L I ST I N G S CO N T I N U E O N PAG E 3 3
Debbie Burkhead interviews
Mike Vento
hold‘em with a half kill. We
are also introducing three betting limit games, a $2-$4-$6
and a $4-$8-$12.
DB: And what is offered on
the high-limit side?
MV: Mostly no-limit, a $1-$3
32
blind, a $2-$5 blind and we
will spread higher no-limit
games upon request.
plans for a major tournament
but nothing is concrete at this
time.
DB: Are there any plans for
a major tournament at the
Palms?
MV: We are working on
DB: Since you‘ve taken over
as Cardroom Manager, who
has made you job easier?
MV: My employees have
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
really gotten behind me to
help me get the room turned
around.
DB: Are the Palms executives
poker friendly?
MV: They seem to be very
poker friendly; they’ve gone
out of their way to afford me
every tool needed to get the
room back on track.
DB: Is there anything else
you’d like to say to our readers?
MV: Yes, I’d like to have the
players we had in the past to
come back and take a look
at the changes; I believe they
will be pleasantly surprised.
SATELLITES FOR THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF POKER!
$10,000,000 PRIZE POOL - $5,000,000 FIRST PRIZE*
*BASED
UPON 100
ENTRIES
ONLY 100 Players • A $100,000 Buy-in event + $5,000 Entry Fee • Final Event to be held at Sam’s Town®, Las Vegas. Dec 20-23, 2006 • Super Satellites on Dec 18 & 19, 2006
In Las Vegas...
at Sam’s Town
FURTHER RULES AND
D E TA I L S W I L L B E
F O U N D AT :
EVERY SATURDAY Buy-in & Fee $1,100
Winner receives a Super Satellite seat—
seat—Super
Super Satellite Winner receives Buyin and Entry Fee for the Main Event. Contact: Dick Gatewood, Poker Manager,
702-454-8092
MONDAY
SOUTHWEST
TIME
NM
|
TUESDAY
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
|
FRIDAY
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
| SATURDAY |
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
SUNDAY
GAMES BUY-IN
Cities of Gold
Isleta Casino & Resort
Route 66 Casino
OK
Thunderbird Casino, Norman
PACIFIC NORTHWEST
OR
Chinook Winds Casino
Wildhorse Casino Resort
Blue Mountain Casino
Chips Bremerton
Chips La Center
Chips Lakewood
Chips Tukwila
Final Table Cas., Everett
WA Goldie’s
Little Creek Casino
Muckleshoot Casino
Northern Quest
Point Defiance Cafe & Cas., Tacoma
Suquamash Clearwater
Wild Grizzly
NORTHEAST
NORTHWEST
MN Fortune Bay Casino
Northern Light Casino
Shooting Star Casino
MT Black Jack’s Casino
4 Bears Casino
ND Dakota Magic
NE Rosebud Casino
SD
Dakota Sioux
Gold Dust Cas., Deadwood
Rosebud Casino
Silverado Casino Deadwood
CT
Foxwoods
NJ
Caesar’s Atlantic City
Harrah’s Atlantic City
Tropicana
Akwesasne Mohawk
Majesty Casino Boar
NY
Turning Stone
DA I LY TO U R N A M E N T L I ST I N G S CO N T I N U E O N PAG E 35
Fast Answers About
Anything POKER!
pokerplayernewspaper.com
Get us on the web!
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
33
Collaborative Effort
In the year 2006, all kinds of unimaginative ideas are
en vogue. For example, since poker is the flavor of the
month, there are probably all kinds of ideas floating
around for a reality show, sitcom, promos on TLC (The
Learning Channel), and a variety show featuring the
next three winners of the W.S.O.P. tournament bloop-
Dealer Vibes
By Donald W. Woods, Jr.
ers! These kinds of ideas are o.k. To try
to capitalize on if you happened to be
a poker connoisseur in the mainstream
eyes, with name recognition to boot. So
then what would we say about Mr. and Mrs.
Everyday Jones and their plight, to be number one?
Since everyone’s starting point is not equal, it is
very difficult to communicate poker ideas without
firsthand knowledge of what you know. However, I am
going to give you some quality pointers from a dealer
perspective. If you notice, most – supposedly - knowledgeable people will say that people who move up to
middle limit poker – say a $20-$40 game – usually
have no chance of winning. I just want to point out
that; whatever card room that the tourist jumped into
the $20-$40 game and could not win in a $2-$4 game
in the movie “Rounders” –save for luck - does not
exist in everyday play. In addition, the statement that,
“no amount of luck could help them” would not be
accurate if in fact the players were capable of playing
that limit. To be sure, it is difficult to make the transition but the number one reason is not that the players
cannot play.
The first and foremost reason is: scared money cannot win. Since a new player to the game is usually
targeted to see if in fact the player fits at the level,
the better players are going to try to isolate the player
repeatedly. Obviously, at this point I am assuming that
the new players are capable of playing the best hands.
It is the middle of the road card decisions that cost
money. There is that name again - money. The pressure that the seasoned vets are going to produce is
predicated on the fact that enough raises will make
you lay down a hand. Never mind that those pair of
nines you were holding were good, they will not look
so good if there are all kinds of raises from every
angle - from supposedly better hands. The fact is; the
newer player will not want to mix it up for that kind
of money, not knowing if they in fact have the better
hand. So, here we are again back to money which is
seeping fast, unless a run of the superior hands and
flops appear to save you. I am not going to tell you
that if you have the skill level - but not the money - to
wait until you accrue a bankroll of $50,000 to play.
That would be like me telling you to come into the
middle of a movie and figure out who shot the sheriff.
Naturally, you start asking questions - about how the
hero got into and out of a predicament – from your
neighbor, because you do not know. Therefore, you do
not know where you get this fictitious $50,000 either.
If you knew that, you would be like that credit card
commercial and “not leave home without it”.
I am not one to listen to a lot of people, however, I
am one who watches a lot of people - there is big difference. Next time I will tell you why.
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 mrexcite20032000@
yahoo.com
34
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
Card Cager
Aboard
small winner from an onthe-button bluff with an
off-suit three and five. I
think there’s some magic to
“breaking the ice.” I won
the next two hands with
case pairs to almost double
my chips. And then, Dr.Fill
won a pot with a pair of
kings.
Between hands Hobby
said across the table to me,
“I got an email from Tom
Hardy.”
Hobby was trying to tell
me something. We both
knew Tom Hardy was
a card cager who we’d
caught. Casually I replied,
“What’s he doing now?”
“Same old stuff,” Hobby
replied as he made a subtle
gesture toward Dr. Fill.
Wow! The eminent Dr.
Fill, is a cheater! I began
to watch him closely and
noticed he had a habit of
wiping his hands on his
trousers, but I couldn’t see
any funny business. A few
hands later I noticed he
made a hand swipe at his
trousers and voila!—he
won the hand with a pair of
aces, taking down a big pot.
The guy was plenty
slick, he won more hands
and usually with big pairs.
Even though I was quite
certain what he was doing,
I couldn’t see it happening. He handled his hole
cards frequently and would
occasionally partially
cover them with his right
hand while he wiped his
left hand on his trousers. I
stayed out of his way the
rest of the afternoon and
finished up about even. Dr.
Fill was probably about
a grand ahead and had
POKER
ON
TV
become his jovial confident
self again. All seemed to
have a good time. There
were no big losers and we
agreed to do it again the
next afternoon.
“Did you see it, Joe,”
Hobby asked as we walked
back to his condo.
“It sure looked like he
was doing something when
he wiped his hand on his
trousers, but I never saw a
card.”
“I did, Joe. Probably the
very first time he tried it.
I saw the edge of a card
under his hand when he
moved it off the table.
That’s when I told you
about Hardy. Pretty clever,
don’t you think?
“Brilliant, Hobby. No one
had a clue as to what we
were talking about. I’m sure
Dr. Fill is caging, but he’d
be hard to catch doing it.”
“How do you think he
does it, Joe?”
“There must be a slit
pocket on the leg of his
trousers, but I didn’t see it.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was
thinking. I almost asked for
a card count. That would
show if one were missing,
but I wasn’t sure how we
could tie it to Dr. Fill.”
“That’s right. I’m glad
you didn’t, Hobby. We’ll
have to catch him redhanded.”
The next day’s game
began much the same,
except that Hobby sat at
Dr. Fill’s immediate left
and I sat directly across
from him. I wore tinted
glasses so my careful
scrutiny wouldn’t be that
obvious. Our game plan
was simple. When I saw
the illicit move, I’d signal
by wrapping on the table
and Hobby would trap Dr.
Phil’s hand that held the
caged card. Before the
game started Dr. Fill briefly
shuffled the cards. I suspected he caged a card, but
I didn’t see it. However, he
later made a telltale swipe
of his trouser leg.
We’d played a dozen or
more hands with no obvious trickery. Hobby looked
at me with cocked eyebrows and I shrugged my
shoulders. A few hands later
I noticed a slight tensing
in Dr. Fill’s arms. He took
a second look at his cards,
shuffled one over the other,
and then covered both with
his hands. A quick glance
at Hobby confirmed he was
on alert. When Dr. Fill’s
left hand went toward his
trouser, I signaled. Hobby
snagged the devious paw
and slammed it on the table.
“What the hell are you
doing?” Dr. Fill screamed.
“What are you doing
with that card?” Hobby
fired back as he rotated the
hand to show the caged
card.
Everyone was stunned.
I quickly moved behind
Hobby and said, “The eminent Dr. Fill is a card cheat.
Look at this!”
Hobby yanked Dr. Fill
to his feet and I found the
holdout pocket along the
trouser seam. I withdrew
the ace of hearts. “Check
his other card.”
Someone turned it over
and announced, “It’s the
ace of clubs!”
The resulting excitement
wasn’t over until the ship’s
Captain ordered Dr. Fill
confined to quarters for the
duration of the cruise. What
happened after that was
of little concern to us. We
played poker like there was
no tomorrow.
Write to author David Valley
at: [email protected]
Boston vs. New York Poker
Challenge. (Check local listings for
times/stations). YES.
Poker Royale: Celebrities vs.
Poker Pros. Thursdays & Saturdays
2 AM EDT. GSN.
Celebrity Poker Showdown.
Aug 24-26, 28-31, Sept. 1, 3-9, 11-16, 1823. (Check local listings for times). Bravo.
Poker Superstars Invitational.
(Check local listings for times/channels). Fox Sports.
High Stakes Poker. Mondays &
Fridays 10 PM EDT. GSN
Professional Poker Tour. (Check
local listings for times/channels).
Travel.
Learn From the Pros. (Check
local listing for times). Fox Sports.
MansionPoker.net Poker
Dome Challenge. (Check local listings for channels). Sun 10 PM EDT. FSN.
National Heads-Up Poker
Championship. (Check local listings
for channels). Fridays 8PM EDT. CNBC.
Ultimate Poker Challenge.
(Check local listings for times/channels).
U.S. Poker Championship.
(Check local listing for times). ESPN2
World Series of Poker. (Check
local listing for times). ESPNC/ESPN2.
Time. Some events &. ........ Additional
Limit Hold’em
start after the hour
gametimes. Call. N ..........No Limit
A, P ....... AM, PM
..... Hold’em L ................ Limit
Wk .............Week
.No Limit Hold’em
..........Stud
MONDAY
TIME
B ......... Bounties
T ............... Turbo
.7-Card Stud
..... Omaha Pi........Pineapple Pn......Panginque DCDealer’s Choice Sp ........... Spread
.5-Card Stud H/LHigh/Low Split Po........Pot Limit Mx .Mexican Poker HH ...Headhunter Al ......Alternates
|
TUESDAY
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
|
FRIDAY
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
Z........ Freezeout Sh ........Shootout
Cz ............. Crazy + Re-buys and/or
E...... Elimination Add-ons allowed
Q ............Qualify F ............Freeroll
| SATURDAY |
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
SUNDAY
GAMES BUY-IN
Catfish Bend
MIDWEST
IA
Isle of Capri
Winn-A-Vegas
IL
Hollywood Casino-Aurora
Belterra (Florence)
IN
Caesars Indiana
Trump Indiana
MI
WI
Chip-In’s Island
Lac Vieux Desert Cas., Watersmeet
Menominee Casino, Keshena
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Grand Coushatta
LA
Horseshoe CasinoShreveport
Harrah’s St Louis
MO Isle of Capri
Copa Casino
Gold Strike Casino (Tunica)
MS Grand Casino(Tunica)
Horseshoe Casino (Tunica)
Pearl River Resort
Dania Jai-Alai
FLORIDA
Derby Lane
Hard Rock
Mardi Gras Gaming Ctr, Hollywd
Palm Beach Kennel Club
Palm Beach Princess
Pompano Park Casino
St Tropez Cruise
CANADA Casino Regina
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35
PART 80,
Markers Revisited
For those of you who read my column in
the previous issue you may recall that
Bat Masterson
improving performance
By TOM “TIME” LEONARD
Markers is the internet handle of an up
and coming Hold’em warrior whom I’ve
had the opportunity to coach. My coaching involves
presenting Markers with “Poker Posers” which outline
a scenario and then present the question, “What would
you do and why?” I try to put together situations that
could produce different answers which in turn tend to
generate discussion that leads to a deeper understanding of the game. I’d like to share with you another
“Poser” which I submitted to Markers.
The scenario presented was as follows. You open
raise in early position with pocket Aces in a full limit
ring game. Another early position player, the button and
the big blind call. The four of you watch a suited flop
of 2-6-10, all hearts hit the board One of your Aces is a
heart. The big blind checks, you bet and everyone calls
The turn is the Ace of spades (woo hoo) giving you a set
of rockets. The big blind checks again, you bet, the next
two players fold and the big blind check raises you. The
question is now posed, “What do you do and why?”
I didn’t agree with Markers’ answer, which was to
call. He reasoned that he might be behind right now to
a flopped flush but he recognized what a good draw he
possessed to overtake the only hand that could have
him beat. Maybe our different views on this situation
relate to our styles of play but I recommended re-raising. You may well have the best hand right now and
if you don’t, you have 17 outs to hit the nuts. This, of
course, does not acknowledge your opponent holding either the 3-5 or 7-8 of hearts which could “taint”
some of your heart outs. Neither holding should have
stayed for the initial raise. With one card to come and
possessing 17 outs you are only 1.7-1 against to hit and
with 15 outs you are about 2-1 against. In addition, you
know your opponent does not have the nut flush since
you have the Ace of hearts. That means he can’t raise
you since you are representing the nut flush with your
re-raise. That also means you’ve stopped him cold on
the river and you will see a free showdown. If you miss
on the river, you can decide to show it down or try and
move him off what you believe to be a lesser flush than
you are representing. If you wind up losing to a flush
in a check-check showdown, it is the same amount of
money as you would have lost if you just called your
opponent’s raise on the turn and a bet on the river.
However, if you hit your hand you will have earned an
extra bet on the turn and a crying call on the river for
two extra bets.
Markers’ answer while not wrong was not, in my opinion, the most profitable course of action. After we discussed this hand in detail Markers came over to my side
At first blush our different approaches might seem to
be related to who might have a more aggressive playing
style. However, it really is about recognizing when you
can put yourself in a free roll situation. That is our goal
for this time together, recognizing when, with no further
downside, you can put yourself in a situation that only
has an upside. If you regularly recognize these opportunities and act on them you’ll be significantly enhancing
your bottom line. Isn’t that what it’s all about!
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].
36
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
Legend of the
Wild West
By Byron Liggett
Bat Masterson was a
lethal gunfighter, fearless
lawman and professional
gambler. In the decades
following the Civil War,
he rode across the frontier
and into the history and
legend of the American
West.
Born William Barclay
Masterson in Illinois in
1855, he was one of six
children, three brothers and two sisters. A
few years later, the family moved to Sedgwick,
Kansas, on the edge of the
frontier.
Bat received little formal education. At 17, he
and his brothers got hired
as buffalo hunters to supply meat for the crews
building the railroads.
They butchered as many
as 20 animals a day. It was
in the camps of the buffalo
hunters that Bat learned to
gamble and play poker.
In 1876, in Sweetwater,
Texas, young Bat killed
his first man. After a poker
game at the Lady Gay
Saloon, Bat was the big
winner and Sgt. King, a
U.S. Calvary soldier, was
the heavy loser. When Bat
left the saloon later in the
company of Miss Mollie
Brennan, a popular prostitute, drunk and still angry
Sgt. King decided to confront the youth.
King knocked on
Masterson’s door. When
Bat opened it, the soldier
fired his pistol; the bullet
going through Bat’s abdomen and out his thigh. The
soldier’s second shot hit
Mollie killing her instantly. Bat quickly raised himself up and fired, dropping
King with a shot through
the heart.
Miraculously, Bat
recovered within weeks.
It was determined that he
acted in self-defense and
was acquitted of murder.
Nevertheless, it was the
beginning of his frontier
fame. Before it was over,
he admitted to killing
more than two dozen men
(not counting Indians and
Mexicans he would say).
Masterson was a well
known marksman. One
witness declared, “I’ve
seen Bat shoot at a tin cup
thrown in the air, with his
six-shooter, at twenty-five
cents a shot and make
money at it.”
Bat left Texas for
Dodge City. Wyatt Earp
was town marshal and
the two men soon became
good friends. When Wyatt
banned fire arms from
town he hired Bat as his
Deputy to help enforce the
unpopular city ordinance.
Masterson also became
a partner in the Lone Star,
a dance hall, gambling
house and bordello. At 22,
he ran for the position of
county sheriff and won by
three votes.
Bat lost his re-election
campaign for sheriff and
was out of a job. It was
1880, and the buffalo were
gone. Now the 26-year old
turned to his other talent
– gambling. According
to Masterson, “Gambling
was not only the principal
and best-paying industry
of the time, but it was also
reckoned among the most
respectable.”
Experienced faro dealers were customarily paid
$25 for a 6-hour shift. Bat
visited every railroad town
and mining camp throughout the West playing or
dealing faro and poker. He
sat across the table from
the likes of Doc Holliday,
Luke Short, and the Earp
brothers.
For a professional
frontier gambler, Bat was
considered successful.
But, as with all gamblers,
life was an up-and-down
struggle. In a letter to a
close friend he wrote, “I…
have experienced the vicissitudes which has always
characterized the [gambling] business. Some days
– plenty, and more days
– nothing.” He concluded,
“I came into the world
without anything and I
have about held my own
to date.”
Prizefighting was an
emerging sport in the
1880s. Out West, gunslingers and gamblers
were important to the
fight game. Fair play was
maintained by a “display
of force on both sides”
explains a leading ring
historian. Gamblers were
often promoters as well as
bookies.
Attracted to the action,
Bat became a well respected boxing authority. In
the 1890’s he worked as a
manager or dealer in the
many gambling houses of
Denver. At the same time,
he promoted, judged or
was a celebrity guest at
every major fight in the
US. Illustrated Sporting
West magazine featured
Masterson in an 1894
issue, reporting that he’s
“considered one of the
best judges of pugilists in
America”.
Offered a job covering boxing for a New
York City newspaper, Bat
arrived in the Big Apple
in 1902. As a sports columnist he wrote as he
spoke, bluntly, fearlessly.
Writer Damon Runyon
said posthumously of his
friend, “Bat had no literary
style, but he had plenty of
moxie.”
Masterson was bothered
by the huge paycheck boxers received for a fight, as
much as $12,000! Hard
working farmers made
less in a year. There are
those who say “everything
breaks even” in life, he
wrote, pointing out that
they’re the same ones who
argue “because the rich
man gets ice in the summer, and the poor man gets
it in the winter, things are
breaking even for both.”
Among those who
admired and befriended
Masterson was President
Theodore Roosevelt,
himself a “Rough Rider”,
sharpshooter and poker
player. The President
wanted to appoint his
hero U.S. Marshal of the
Oklahoma Territory. Bat
declined.
Online
Seven Stud
High-Low
BY KOJIF
Bubbles and Steam
I truly believe that most of
the world has gone totally
nuts…definitely not a good
thing! Listen to the news
about rage, the vengeance,
fighting, and the unthinkable. Everyone seems to be
steaming-and not from the
heat! (By the way, that’s
why I love Poker Player
newspaper, just good oldfashioned poker articles.
When I play poker at a
land-based casino, no matter
the game, most players are
courteous, friendly and truly
entrenched in the “fun of
the game.” Yes, of course,
we all want to win! But I
have never been subjected
to ridicule, called names or
experienced any unacceptable behavior. This is truly
a credit to not only the players but to those who manage
the poker rooms.
Playing online can be a
totally different picture. This
brings me to half of the subject of this article…steam!
Some players hide behind
their online screen names to
unmercifully “vent.” Those
inconsiderate players, with
little regard for the game,
call players everything in
the book, e.g., white trash,
stupid, ignorant, ass, idiot
and some even find a clever
way to use expletives that
are prohibited. They complain about the site; how a
competitor plays a certain
hand; that other players are
“stalking them” because one
sits down at “their” table
and on and on ad nausea.
Would they really do all this
sitting face to face? And, if
they are that miserable, why
are they at the table? We
all must seek to make our
world a better place. How
about at the online poker
table for starters?
Okay…on to bubbles!
Kojif has been up to the
neck in tournament bubbles!
As a kid, blowing bubbles
was fun…when playing
online tourneys bubbles
are the absolute pits! Yep,
up to my neck in bubbles!
The reason? Well, we’ll get
to that later. Based on my
recent tournament play, I
should rush to buy a lottery
ticket with every number
ending or beginning in four!
Maybe it was spring
fever; perhaps the summer
heat; might have been the
fact that too many things
were happening while I was
playing. You know, mowing the lawn between hands,
the honey-do list, the dogs,
cats or kids wanting to play,
or friends calling just to
“chat.” I wish I could blame
someone else but, alas, no
can do.
Bad beats? Of course.
Two hands ago, had trip
nines rolled up…lost to
trip aces. Fold? I have a
very, very hard time mucking trips-even though I had
the gut feeling I was holding the losing hand. Guess
where I finished? Yep,
bubbled!
Okay, the reason for
me seeing, breathing, and
smelling bubbles? My lack
of focus!
Card players, when you
sit down to play poker,
focus on playing poker, for
each and every single hand.
Forget everything else you
believe you may need to do,
should or could do. Just let
it be your time at the tables!
And focus! You’ll find
the odds are more in your
favor!
Check out this issue of
Poker Player for land-based
and online poker sites. If
your favorite room doesn’t
advertise 7-hi-lo tourneys,
email or contact the poker
room manager and ask:
“Hey, how about it?”
Be it spring, summer,
winter or fall, my absolute
favorite trip is a cruise for
card players …poker cruises! I’ll fill you in on the fun
next time!
And just a reminder…
every single day…BE
NICE! See you online at the
7-hi-lo tables!
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
37
Perks and Picks
MontBleu Casino in Lake Tahoe (formerly Caesars Palace) hosts
NoLimit Texas Hold’Em Multi-Table Tournaments every Monday and
Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.
Card Room Roundup
The Bargain Bin
By H. Scot Krause
Registration for the tournaments begins at 5:30
p.m. Players already seated in live games will have
the first option to buy a tournament seat at 5:00
p.m., as well as priority seating. All others will be registered on a first
come, first serve basis beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Play live before the tournament and receive $100 in tournament
chips for every 1/2 hour of play and double tracking hours (must have
tracking card). Play live after the tournament and get $45 in chips for
$40 (must play at least one hour).
On Mondays, the tournaments run as follows: $55 buy-in for $1,500
in chips ($45 to the prize pool; $7 entry-fee; $3 dealer toke; Optional
$3 dealer toke add-on gets you $500 additional chips, one offer per
player; 1 Rebuy (less than $500 in chips) or 1 Add-on at the first
break—$30 gets player $2,000 in chips; -5 places paid (based on 50
entries, payoff tables may change according to number of entries.)
1st= 45%, 2nd= 25%, 3rd= 15%, 4th= 10%, 5th= 5%; 15-minute
rounds– Blinds 25-50, 50-100, 100-200, (break) 200-400, 300-600,
400-800, 500-1000, approximate break, continue doubling until
completion.
On Wednesdays, the tournaments run as follows: $75 buy-in for
$2,000 in chips ($65 to the prize pool; $7 entry fee; $3 dealer toke;
Optional $3 dealer toke add-on gets player $700 additional chips, one
offer per player.); FREEZEOUT (no rebuys); 5 places paid (based on 50
entries, payoff tables may change according to number of entries.)
1st= 45%, 2nd= 25%, 3rd= 15%, 4th= 10%, 5th= 5%; 15-minute
rounds– Blinds 25-50, 50-100, 100-200, (break) 200-400, 300-600,
400-800, 500-1000, approximate break, continue doubling until
completion.
Visit the MontBleu Poker Room for more information and additional
tournaments.
Also at MontBleu, on September 23, the casino will award one lucky
winner with a 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid 4x4 and several other winners will collect cash prizes. Cobalt Players Club members can earn
entries from August 12 through September 23 that could qualify them
for the grand prize drawing. Entries can be earned in several ways:
meal receipt from any
• One Free entry per Cobalt
MontBleu food and beverage
Players Club member per day
venue
• Additional entries for every
250 points earned or (1) one • One Free entry for every
MontBleu concert ticket purhour of table game play at a
chased
$20 average bet
• Extra entries via mail offers
• One Free entry for every
• Extra entries offered via ehotel night purchased
mail promotion
• One Free entry for every
On the grand prize drawing day, drawing times will be 2:00 p.m.,
4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., leading up to the car giveaway at 7:00 p.m.
Winners must be present. See the MontBleu Cobalt Players Club for
more details.
In Las Vegas, Station Casinos has announced its annual football
contest. The popular $1,000,000 Great Giveaway Football Contest
is back. There will be over 200 winners with prizes ranging from
$200,000 to $50. Participating in this year’s contest are Palace
Station, Boulder Station, Texas Station, Sunset Station, Santa Fe
Station, Green Valley Ranch and Red Rock. There will be a $25 fee
per entry. Registration is now in progress. Contestants may also use
Boarding Pass points or Station Bucks for payment or partial payment.
For more information visit the Race & Sports Books at any of the participating properties, or visit http://www.mygreatgiveaway.com
That’s it for this week!
Rio All Suite
Hotel & Casino
3700 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89103
Toll Free: 1.800.752.9746
Local: 702.777.7777
www.riolasvegas.com
The Rio All Suite Resort in
Las Vegas is best known in
the poker world as the new
“uptown” home of the World
Series of Poker. When the
Rio opened in 1991 it instantly became the party place
for the young hip crowd.
Loud music, sexy dancing
girls’ riding light floats high
above the casino floor, even
a Rio Rita showgirl host and
a Carnivale atmosphere that
will turn even the hardcore
grouch into a smiling mover
and shaker. The Rio attracts
the younger, moneyed crowd
that believes Las Vegas is the
place for fun and the Rio is
the Las Vegas place that has
the most.
It didn’t take long before
the upscale ‘more mature’
crowd discovered the Rio.
Luxurious oversize guest
rooms, great food at any of
the Rio’s many restaurants,
the best view in town of the
Las Vegas Casino Corridor
from high atop a fifty story
tower, continuous fast action
in the casino and live shows
featuring some of the bright-
H. Scot Krause is a freelance writer, gaming industry
analyst and researcher, originally from Cleveland, Ohio.
While raising his four year-old son, Zachary, Scot reports,
researches, and writes about casino games, events, attractions and promotions. He is a twelve-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]
38
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
est stars in Las Vegas makes
the Rio a world class destination for all age groups.
The Rio Resort features
more than 2,500 guest suites
complete with all of the
expected standard Vegas
guest room amenities plus
much, much more. Over 600
square feet in each room,
comfortable sofa and chairs
and table, large screen TV,
table with chairs, in-suite
refrigerators, iron with board,
in-suite wall safe, large
well appointed bathrooms,
separate dressing area, hair
dryer, high speed Internet
and the most spectacular
views in town of the Las
Vegas casino corridor. You
don’t come to Las Vegas to
sit around in your luxurious
suite so maybe a couple of
relaxing hours at the fabulous Ipanema Beach tropical
pool, actually five different
pools and a real sand beach
bordering a tropical lagoon,
waterfalls and five Jacuzzistyle spas. There’s also the
Rio Spa and Salon, a full
service facility that caters
Inside the poker room at Rio
to the weary travelers with
everything from a quick trim
to a total rejuvenation and
makeover.
The famous Masquerade
Village Show in the Sky
is free, fun and happens
numerous times every night.
Costumed entertainers ride
colorful floats suspended
from tracks in the ceiling
above the casino floor while
dancing to the music from a
Latin American Carnivale.
For a small fee guest can also
ride one of the floats and help
throw those popular plastic
bead necklaces to the screaming crowd below.
Take the time to sample
the offerings from the dozen
and a half different food outlets at the Rio. Dine in skyhigh elegance at the exotic
VooDoo Café & Lounge,
sample an award winning
steak at Fiore Steakhouse,
experience Asian exhibition cooking at Hamada
of Japan, fresh seafood at
Buzio’s Seafood Restaurant,
taste the gourmet specialties
of the East at Gaylord India
Restaurant, romantic dining
at Antonio’s featuring gourmet Italian, and an award
winning seafood buffet plus
numerous gourmet coffee
bars from Starbucks and The
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
The best burgers in town are
found at the All American
Bar & Grill plus in-house
aged steaks known for their
sizzle and flavor make this
the late night food stop place
and it is very close to the
poker room.
The all-new Rio Poker
Room opened August 11th.
Located next to the sports
book the new room features
10 tables with shufflemasters
in a spacious setting behind
a glass wall. Six big screen
plasma displays ensure you
will not miss any of the
televised sports action. The
room is managed by Jerome
Stone after former manager
Robert Daly was appointed
the Tournament Director for
The Rio’s poker room lives in
the shadow of the legendary
WSOP so it must offer a great
WSOP signature poker room
playing experience and this is
what it does best. Poker players receive top recognition
at the Rio and are welcomed
into the comfortable room by
the well trained staff.
Live poker is offered in
$4-$8 Limit Hold’em, $1$2 No-limit Hold’em with
a $60-$200 buy-in, and $2$5 No-limit Hold’em with
a $100-$500 buy-in. Any
game or limits will be dealt
with enough players to make
up a table. A half kill may
be introduced into the limit
Hold’em game if requested
by the players.
A No-limit Hold’em tournament is offered everyday
at Noon. A $40 buy-in gets
you $1,500 in chips and one
$40 Add-on the first hour gets
another $1,500. Weekdays
the popular tournament fills
most of the tables and weekends it usually fills the room
and can have an alternate list.
A daily high hand jackpot
offers cash awards and a ticket to play in a monthly NLHE
freeroll tournament. The best
part about this promotion is
the winner of the monthly
freeroll tournament receives
some cash and a $10,000
seat in the 2007 World
Series of Poker Main Event
Championship at the Rio
next August. All ten players
making the final table of the
monthly freeroll receive cash
prizes. Some of the monthly
freeroll tournaments may
offer more than one $10K
WSOP entry depending on
June so plenty of opportunities to get a free entry into
the WSOP main event and
become poker’s next superstar millionaire.
Food comps are offered at
the standard Las Vegas rate
of $1/hour of play up to $8
daily. The comps are good
in any of the food outlets at
number of qualifiers. Even
if you don’t make one of the
daily High-hands you can still
get an entry into the monthly
freeroll tournament by playing 80 hours during any
qualifying period. The $10K
WSOP Championship seat
giveaways continue until the
start of the 2007 WSOP next
Play in the only poker
room in town that shares
poker billing with the new
World Series of Poker. For
complete details of promotions and tournaments or any
question about poker at the
Rio Resort phone the poker
room direct at 702.777.7650.
—Joe Smith, Sr.
There’s a lot to see and experience here—from the Ipanema Beach pool area to the sky floats riding above the casino area
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SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
39
A Stud Lesson for Hold’Em
Players, PART 1 OF 2
STUD SENSE
By ASHLEY ADAMS
You’re a Hold Em player. You’ve gotten pretty good at it. So you’ve decided to learn
another game a well. You figure that you’d like to
take advantage of the many loose stud games with
lots of bad players. So what do you need to know
about stud so you can beat these games? Even if
you don’t become an expert, can you learn to play
well enough to extract some profit from the really
good stud games that are out there?
I’m writing this two part series for you guys and
gals – to show you some of the basics so you can
pick up this great and often very profitable form of
poker. Admittedly, these are just the basics – but
with practice and a little extra reading from time to
time you should be able to beat stud even mores
consistently than you are now beating Hold Em. .
Let me give you a simple, mechanical way of playing the game and then add some theory at the end
of this article to help you continue to learn as you
play. I’ll take you rapidly through every stage of the
stud game, giving you simple instructions to follow
so you can start off with a low risk method of play.
As you develop your skill at the stud table you’ll be
able to expand your repertoire. But for now, follow
these instructions explicitly.
You start with three cards. The first thing you as
a hold em player must do is forget about the starting requirements for Hold Em. I can’t tell you how
many Hold Em players I’ve seen playing with AK,
AQ, or with suited connectors. Forget those hands.
Your selection in Stud, with three cards to start, is
going to be much more selective.
You will fold every hand except the following –
and you will not play these hands all the time either
as we shall see. But for starters, only play: Trips, a
pair, a 3-Flush, and a 3-Straight. Let’s look at pairs
first.
Ideally, you want to play a Premium Pair – that’s
a pair of Tens or higher. You generally want to play
these pairs for a raise. But you need to be careful. You want to be the highest pair on Third Street,
the first betting round. If a higher card raises in
front of you then you should consider folding even
if you have a Premium Pair. You don’t want to go
heads up against a pair of Kings if you have a pair
of Queens. But if you estimate that you’re the boss
hand, make other pay to stay around or make them
fold. You certainly do not want to lure people in,
even with a pair of Aces, by just calling the bringin bet (the low card showing on Third Street must
start the betting in 7-Card Stud). Make the full
raise. If you knock everyone out, fine. You’ve won
a pot. If you get one caller that’s ideal –as you figure to be well in the lead.
Other pairs are playable. But you want to have a
kicker higher than the other up cards – preferably
an Ace or a King. So 6-6-K is a playable hand as
long as you don’t see an Ace behind you or raising in front of you. What you’re hoping to do is
get another King or 6, giving you Trip 6s or Kings
Up – strong hands in 7-Card Stud. It’s also to your
advantage to have a hidden pair. That way, if you
make Trips, your opponent won’t see it and will
probably continue to call all of your bets until the
River.
What you want to avoid is a split low pair with
a weak kicker – where even if you hit two pair you
might not be the boss two pair. Down that way lies
40
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
a lot of losses. So toss your low pairs with low kickers unless you can just get in for the bring-in. You
also want to make sure that both your low pair and
your high kicker are live – no one else has one. If
one of the five cards that you must have to improve
this hand are gone then you have just diminished
the value of your hand by 20% and it becomes
unplayable. Toss it.
3-Flushes and 3-Straights are playable, but only
under certain circumstances. First of all, you can’t
play either for a double bet. So if someone bets
and someone else raises you must fold no matter
how strong they might otherwise be. Your cost
is too high relative to the chances that you might
win the pot. You need to be careful that you’re not
sucked in to playing this hand for a double raise.
If a high card raises in front of you and there are
a couple of higher cards after you – especially if
they’re held by aggressive players, then you might
want to fold, lest you call the raise only to have the
hand re-raised. Better to wait for a better situation.
Your 3-Flushes and 3-Straights must be highly
live. You don’t want to play the straight draw if
more than one of the primary cards are gone. If
you hold T-J-Q then you don’t want to play if
there’s more than one King or 9 out. You also toss
the hand if there’s a combination of two primary
and secondary cards out. A King and an Ace out
and you fold. Two Aces out and you fold. Two 8s or
a 9 and an 8 out and you fold. We’re not looking for
reasons to play hands in these games where you’re
starting; we’re looking for only the strongest hands
to play.
You can play 3-Flushes if no more than two Flush
cards are out, but you need to have at least one an
Ace, King or Queen. If at least one of those cards
isn’t a high one, then you fold if you see more than
one Flush card out. 3-7-9 and two Flush cards out
elsewhere and you fold. A-K-3 of hearts and you
call unless you see three or more hearts out, in
which case you fold.
The key here is recognizing that your starting
hand is much stronger if it can improve in two ways
– either by moving toward a Flush or by becoming
a Premium pair. If there’s a high card then you give
yourself three more cards that help you. That’s a
30% improvement in your chances.
You also want to play your Flush and Straight
draws against as many other opponents as possible.
While some like to get tricky by raising with them
from time to time – and while there’s some profit in
this at times – I don’t’ recommend it when you are
starting out. Just try to call until you make your
hand. Try to keep in opponents so the eventual
pots will be large.
Trips, of course, are playable. Don’t worry about
them too much. Just one word of advice. Tend
to raise with them unless you think that a raise is
likely to knock everyone else out, in which case you
should just call and let others raise or call for the
first round. Thereafter you’re going to be betting
aggressively until the River.
That’s a simple outline of how to play the first
three cards. Next, we’ll deal with how to generally
play the remaining four rounds of betting – and how
it’s different from Hold Em play.
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]
Charlie
C
Your experience at the poker
table can be your most valuable asset. Use it! If you are
preoccupied with memories
of past experiences or have
present concerns not related
to each new hand of poker
you play, you will not be
able to play at your highest skill level. Worrying
about your bills, fantasizing
about winning the tournament, worrying about your
image, allowing your ego
to effect decisions, judging
yourself or other’s, or having any other distractions
will cloud your access to
the critical information your
poker playing experience
can make available to you.
You will miss the changing
dynamics at the table and
won’t know if you are beat
or if someone is holding
good cards or just bluffing.
You also will miss many
opportunities to increase
your chip position or to limit
your losses.
Distractions interfere
with the information your
instincts instantly can give
you from the vast storedup poker playing experience in your memory bank.
Instinctive information is
instantly delivered to your
through your feelings. On
the other hand, if you are
not distracted, without effort
you will find yourself with
a stronger awareness of
the other players and their
actions. You will know the
amount of the blinds, the
amount of chips in play, the
math including the implied
odds of every pot, the
strengths and weaknesses
of each player at the table,
and most importantly you
will be able to identify your
best opportunities to invest
your chips in. You will be at
ease and willing to wait for
your best time, not a good
time, to risk your chips. You
will estimate the number
of hands you are likely to
look at before the blinds
and antes reduce your chips
to the point where you are
forced to play a random
hand.
All good players consider
Metaphysical Poker & Life
e Shoten
Losing & Winning Hands
Can Make You A Better Player.
It’s called EXPERIENCE.
and then discover how to
the way of our becoming
free ourselves from them?
a better poker player. We
A clear mind is a must
just assume that the harder
at the poker table. I have
we study the more we will
spent most of my life trying
accomplish. We may not
to achieve more and reach
see the obstacles keeping
my goals but did not realize
us from being in the zone
that my efforts were hinand accomplishing our
“Brevity
dered by hurtful memories,
goals. If our efforts are
is the soul of wit; and
thoughts, ideas, and beliefs
tediousness the limbs and
that ran through my
“Less is more
outward flourishes.”
mind. The first and
where wit is concerned
the same poker issues in
any hand. The best players
are not distracted and have
instant access to all of their
poker playing experiences
through their instincts. Our
instincts automatically find
—William Shakespeare
the hand you have played
in the past that most mirrors the current hand you
are now playing. We are all
capable of knowing almost
everything we need to know
about another player at the
poker table. Through their
body language, facial expressions, what they say and
how they say it, our instincts
can instantly tell us through
our feelings the strength of
another player’s hand.
We all want to win at
poker. How do we get
there and do it? Most of us
never consider what is in
My memories,
ideas, thoughts
and beliefs have
made me who
and what I am.
How can I give
them up?
Choose the ones
that cause you
stress and sell
them to some
fool who finds
them valuable
and will pay you
a big price for
them.
as letting go of what you
are not is more where you are
concerned.”
—Charlie Shoten
directed to noticing and letting go of our distractions,
our natural forces will be
released and without effort
we will succeed beyond our
deepest hopes and dreams.
Distractions are obstacles.
How can you make your
best decision if your mind
is cluttered with thoughts
about something else? This
is the question that my book,
“No-Limit Life” addresses.
Do we put our efforts into
trying harder or do we sit
back and relax so that we
can identify our distractions
Should I sit up
straight or lean
one way or the
other at the
poker table?
Definitely the
other.
most constructive
thing that anyone
can do is to clean
their work area
before they start to
build anything. Building on
an old and cluttered foundation, no matter how good
the material or the quality of
the work, will not produce
a good result. It is the same
with your mind.
When I was in college
and someone asked me
“What is bothering you
Charlie?” I often replied,
“ I am more of what I am
not than who I am”. I didn’t
realize at that time how
true that was and what an
important clue it was for me
to help me achieve more.
Another question is how do
I become less of what I am
not? In other words how do
I clear my mind of debris?
Emotional scars we are
holding onto are the debris
that has been implanted
in us or that we have created in response to being
neglected or abused. Notice
I said holding onto. This is
another very important clue
because it tells you that what
you have to do is to notice
and let go of the debris in
your mind to free yourselves from it. Use my Ten
Commitments in my book
“No-Limit Life” to help you
do this.
I hope that this helps you
to have a clearer poker mind
so that you can maintain
your focus and allow your
experience through your
instincts help you improve
your poker game. Now
that you know that the job
is to let go of the debris
in your mind, how do you
do it? I share in “No-Limit
Life” how I use my Ten
Commitments to help me
notice and let go of my
debris to clear my mind. To
do this I have made it my
number one priority in life,
have memorized it and use
it as a mantra that works for
me 24/7. This is no small
d
task and I expect to continue
it until I have a clear mind
or I am not here anymore.
Reach Charlie—
For Speaking
Engagements &
Live Play Internet
Tournament Coaching
702 270-4877
[email protected]
www.nolimitlife.net
NO-LIMIT
NO-LIMIT
LIFE
LIFE
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SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
41
A Maniac Named
Doug, PART 2
NEVER PLAY Poker with
a man CALLed “DOC”
By Scott Aigner, M.D.
Last time I introduced Doug. He was
our local maniac and (unfortunately for
him) also an alcoholic. Doug became even more loose
and more aggressive as the night wore on as a result
of all of the alcohol he consumed.. His maniacal play
in the ring games resulted in him losing every single
time I could remember except once when an employee
assigned to clean the restrooms mixed bleach and
ammonia together which resulted in the formation of
noxious fumes. The Casino evacuated everyone from
the premises and the local fire marshal closed it down
for the night. Doug ended up going home a winner
although technically he didn’t really win as he wasn’t
able to cash in his chips before the evacuation took
place.
Despite Doug’s poor showing in the limit ring games
he did extremely well when it came to tournament
play. While everyone else was playing tight Doug was
ramming and jamming every single pot. Doug usually
amassed a decent chip lead fairly early or else he was
the first one out in the freeze out tournaments. When
it came to the rebuy tournaments Doug created a lot of
action and a much bigger prize pool. Next to his tournament chips he had a stack of bills so that he didn’t
have to reach into his pocket every time he busted. In
addition, a number of the players at his table also had
to rebuy a few more times than usual as well. Because
of his erratic play Doug was impossible to read. There
was no way to know if he had a big hand or not because
he played everything full bore. His aggressive play (and
behavior too) intimidated a lot of the local players too.
He also seemed to get lucky quite often at just the right
time. Someone might take pocket Aces against him and
he would hit 2 pair. God forbid they would reveal their
hand after losing with it or Doug would say “I knew
you had nothing” as the pot was being pushed to him.
Forget that he just knocked you to a short stack position or even out of the tournament with 7-2.
As we closed in on the bubble his very loose and
aggressive play built up an even bigger stack while
most of the others played squeaky tight, hoping to
squeeze into the money. By the time the final table
formed Doug was usually one of the chip leaders.
Interestingly, as his state of drunkenness increased, so
did his tournament stack. He had accidentally stumbled
on to a tournament strategy that worked extremely
well. As everyone else tightened up their games
towards the later stages of the tournament, Doug was
loosening up his “game.’ This strategy was devastatingly effective!
Doug knew nothing about odds and he had no fear.
But I soon learned that there was also a reason for the
madness of his play. Doug didn’t care about winning the
money. He needed to feel inner strength and power. The
only place he could do this was at the poker table playing in the aggressive manner that he utilized. Only here
could he make people back down to his aggression. He
basically was releasing all of his pent up emotions for
the week every time he sat down to play poker.
Next time I will conclude with “A Maniac Named
Doug” and why a loose aggressive strategy is such an
effective style in tournament play...
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
42
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
X
X
X
X
Poker Player
Each issue’s crossword puzzle
honors a poker celebrity and
will be about that person’s
life. Today’s puzzle honors poker pro
“Fossilman” Greg Raymer. Crossword by Myles Mellor.
35. Description of Evelyn
Ng?
ACROSS
1. Ben Afleck’s poker tutor
(2 words)
6. For each
9. Beatle wife
10. Unabomber’s date
12. ____ raise
15. Self addressed envelope, for short
13. Limit
14. Sir
41. That is
17. Trap
42. End of the week
18. Leave
43. Negative prefix
20. Cards that will make
your hand win
46. Still
21. Norwegian feature
47. A Forrest....
24. Neither’s partner
48. Slang for a Queen?
27. Every player looks forward to it
16. Steal
DOWN
18. Fossilman (goes with 27
across)
11. Weight measure
38. Favorite casino for
Fossilman
44. Frankie ____
14. The Flying Dutchman
initials
Word
29. ____ Han
1. Fossilman’s occupation
31. Middle
2. Nothing
19. Plays full time for
money
32. Doubtful
3. She performs “The
Butterfly” card trick
33. Inside
4. Relative
34. Departure
5. Tell givers
36. Employed
37. Destroy
28. Request
6. Fossilman won his entry
into the WSOP tournament
through ____
30. See 18 across
7. Inside, prefix
40. Therefore
32. Cold as ___
8. Ron ____
45. __and behold
22. Subscription, abbr.
23. ____ Ness
25. Chip ___
26. Highest level
1
2
3
4
39. ___-gap
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
16
17
15
18
19
21
23
24
26
33
22
25
27
28
30
32
20
29
31
34
35
38
39
42
43
46
47
36
37
40
41
44
45
48
The correct solution to the puzzle will be found only at:
www.pokerplayernewspaper.com. It will be posted on the cover date.
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SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
43
Each & Every Day
“Each and every day, there are people all
around the country and world who are living
their dreams. Millionaires are made every
day. Families are experiencing tremendous
FRESH YOUNG FACE OF Poker
By Jennifer Matiran
relationships. People are becoming healthier. Life-long
learners are growing intellectually and improving their
chances for success. The fact is that living the life of your
dreams is possible. People prove that every day. Someone
somewhere is going to get rich, get healthy and improve
their life. My recommendation is this: Let it be you!
Reflect. Create time for reflection -- a time to go back
over, to study again the things you’ve learned and the
things you’ve done each day. I call it “running the tapes
again” so that the day locks firmly in your memory so that
it serves as a tool. As you go through the material in this
plan, you will want to spend time reflecting on its significance for you. Regularly set aside time at the end of the
day. Take a few minutes at the end of each day and go back
over the day.” (Reflect; go over, how you played)
I know, I know, it’s all about the cards you get, you say.
The answer is absolutely BUT great players do not use that
as an excuse, they make things happen, they wait as long
as it takes for good cards. They have the same respect for
a 2-4 as they do for a 2K-4K game. They love poker and
that’s why they are successful.
Winners believe in themselves and what they’re doing
even when they lose. It’s so hard but it’s the difference
between success and failure. Winners never quit, I know
you’ve heard that, it’s the truth. Don’t confuse taking a
break with quitting; I did that for a long time, now I realize
that it’s not the same. It’s better to take two steps back, regroup and then take ten steps forward. You will reach your
destination if you keep on going.
I decided to learn everything I could about my goals. One
goal (as you may know) is to be a world class poker player. I
have read all the books and spoke to some of the best players
on the planet. Successful poker does have a formula; oh you
better believe it does. Everything can be achieved with a plan.
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 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.” The point is, don’t live in the past. Instead, use
it as a tool to learn from.
Failure happens over a period of time in poker and in
life. One does not become 600lbs. in one day, one does not
despise their spouse in one day, one does not burn their car
engine in one day, one does not become an alcoholic after
one drink, I could go on for days, but you get my point.
A wise man said something like this “Failure is not a
single, cataclysmic event. We do not fail overnight. Failure
is the inevitable result of an accumulation of poor thinking
and poor choices. To put it more simply, failure is nothing
more than a few errors in judgment repeated every day.
Now why would someone make an error in judgment and
then be so foolish as to repeat it every day? The answer is
because he or she does not think that it matters.
Until next time, review everything and make a commitment to improving your life…
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 matiran@sbcglobal.
net. Ms. Matiran has just completed her latest screenplay, her other passion (besides Poker!).
44
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
October 14–26, 2006
Date
Oct. 14
Oct. 15
Oct. 16
Oct. 17
Oct. 18
Oct. 19
Oct. 20
Oct. 21
Oct. 22
Oct. 23
Oct. 24
Oct. 25
Day
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
All tournaments start at noon.
Game
Limit Hold’em
No-Limit Hold’em
No Limit Hold’em
Limit Hold’em
Omaha Hi-Lo
7-Stud
No-Limit Hold’em
No-Limit Hold’em
Ladies No-Limit Hold’em
No-Limit Hold’em
No Limit Hold’em
Limit Hold’em
Buy-In + Entry Fee
$300 + $40
$300 + $40
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Located 30 minutes from the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport
For all tournament or lodging information, call 952-445-6870
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Sundays, 10:15 a.m. (sign-ups start at 7 a.m.)
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reserves the right to cancel or change promotions.
Online
What Congress Should Do
About Internet Poker
POKer AND
THE LAW
by Nicole Gordon
Review
Party Poker: Internet
Poker’s Biggest Aquarium
Throughout the poker
boom, Party Poker has consistently been the internet
home for some of poker’s
fishiest players. Dwarfing
other online rooms in terms
of sheer size, Party has
boasted the internet’s largest
player base since its inception in 2001, with more
than 15,000 ring game and
80,000 tournament
players logged in
at any given time.
With a wide variety of cash game,
multi-table tournament, and
sit-n-go options, Party has
a game for everyone from
rank amateurs to high-limit
pros.
Action rules the day in
Party Poker’s cash games.
They’re among the loosest
on the internet and juicy
tables are plentiful even at
limits as high as $30-$60.
No-limit hold’em, pot-limit
hold’em, limit hold’em,
limit Omaha hi and hi-lo,
pot-limit Omaha hi and
hi-lo, and 7-card stud hi
and hi-lo are all spread at
limits ranging from $0.50$1 to $100-$200. Players
have a choice between full
10-handed ring games and
shorthanded “6-max” tables.
Play at the full ring tables is
a bit tighter than the often
wild but substantially profitable 6-max games. Many
an internet pro has cut their
teeth and built a bankroll on
Party’s $3-$6 and $5-$10
shorthanded limit hold’em
tables. For true poker novices just getting their start
online, Party offers “beginners” tables with limits as
low as $0.02-$0.04 for new
real money players.
Party Poker spreads
round-the-clock SNGs with
buyins ranging from $6
to $530. For players who
want to take a small investment and attempt to run
it up to the thousands, the
Party “Steps” are a perfect
choice. Players can buy
into a Step 1 tournament for
only $12 and by winning
their SNG, can advance to
the next level ($55), concluding in the $1065 Step
5 SNG in which the winner
takes home $4500. Party
also offers “Mini-Steps”
that begin at a $6 buyin as
well as the “Step Higher”
series, where the buyins
start at $33. Party’s high
traffic and massive player
base (17 million and growing) ensures that players
won’t have to wait long for
their SNG to fill.
Party’s “Big Sunday”
tournament just got richer,
with a prize pool of $1 million guaranteed every weekend. At least 750 players
are guaranteed to cash in
this $200+15 event, with the
winner taking home a sixfigure payday. A $200,000
guarantee tournament is
offered every Saturday, also
with a $215 buyin. MTT
and SNG satellites to these
events are offered at virtually every buyin level.
Party’s $109 and $22 buyin
$40K guaranteed tournaments are offered nightly,
their large fields sending
the prize pools soaring over
the published guarantee. In
my opinion, the $22 buyin
$40K guarantee is one of
the best low-buyin MTTs
on the internet, its winner
typically taking home close
to $10,000. Party Poker
also hosts the world’s largest limit hold’em tournament– the annual Party
Poker Million-- which
takes place aboard a luxury
cruise liner in the Mexican
Riviera. Its past winners
and final table participants
read like a who’s who of the
poker world. Kathy Liebert,
Howard Lederer, Erick
Lindgren, and Michael
Gracz all claimed victory
over the last five years,
while Chris Ferguson, Phil
Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu,
Scotty Nguyen, John
Juanda, and Barry
Greenstein have all
landed at the final
table. Party also
runs a multitude of
World Series of Poker qualifiers each year. In 2006,
over 1000 players won their
way into the Main Event via
Party Poker satellites.
Launched just this month,
Party Poker’s “Monster”
tournament is just that.
Promising to be the largest
and most lucrative freeroll
in internet poker history,
Party is offering their players 8 monthly $1 million
freerolls as well as 32
weekly $100,000 freerolls.
SNG and MTT qualifiers
to the $100K freerolls start
at only $6. Once players
qualify for a $100K weekly
freeroll, they need to place
in the top 2000 of that
tournament to move on to
the $1M monthly freeroll.
From each $1M monthly
freeroll, the top 1000 players advance to the Monster
Grand Final in which a
massive jackpot is at stake.
Seeded with $5 million to
start, the Monster jackpot is
growing by the minute, currently standing at over $7.5
million... and there are still
8 months to go.
Do yourself and your
bankroll a favor and give
the games at Party Poker a
whirl. Unless you’re prone
to calling three bets cold
with 3-4 offsuit, I guarantee that it’ll be worth your
while.
By I. NELSON ROSE
The United States Congress has lost sight of one fundamental fact
about gambling: It is up to the states, not the federal government,
to decide what forms of gambling should be legal.
The states have always made public policy when it comes to
both legal and illegal gambling.
States are free and even encouraged to try social experiments.
So, if New Jersey wants to legalize casinos to revive a dying resort,
it can do so. If it works, other states can follow. But states like
Utah are free to keep all forms of gambling illegal, if they wish.
Gambling is an activity that has always come under the states’
police power, which is the right and obligation of the states to protect the health, safety, welfare and morality of their residents.
The idea that the federal government can tell a state what its
public policy toward gambling must be violates the very idea of our
union of states.
So, why is Congress considering bills to outlaw all forms of
Internet gambling? Even with these bills, Congress recognizes that
states have the right to operate remote wagering on horse races
and state lotteries. So, why are casino games, bingo and poker not
also being left up to the states?
The irrationality of the pending legislation can be seen in its
treatment of horseracing versus dogracing. Interstate betting on
horse races would remain legal, but the exact same wagers would
not be allowed on dog races.
The solution to the problem of Internet gambling already exists.
In December 2000, Congress amended the Interstate Horseracing
Act to expressly allow patrons to bet from their homes and offices
by phone or computer, so long as the state where the bettor is
and the state where the bet is accepted have made such gambling
legal.
(As a side note, the U.S. Department of Justice has taken the
position that all cross-border betting is illegal, even on horse
races. Besides being a great surprise to the horseracing industry,
which would not survive without off-track and inter-track betting, the position is just plain silly – why would Congress pass
an Interstate Horseracing Act, if it wanted to outlaw interstate
horseracing?)
There is no reason why the states should have the power to
decide whether bettors can bet by phone or computer on horse
races but not have the same power to make public policy on games
like poker. Why should the federal government care if states with
legal poker, like Nevada, New Jersey and California want to allow
their licensed poker rooms to operate online, and take bets from
each other. As with horseracing, no one is forcing Utah to change
its policy of complete prohibition.
Allowing the states to decide whether they will license operators and permit their residents to play poker online would also
solve another problem. The World Trade Organization found the
U.S. was discriminating against Antigua, because the U.S. only
allows state-licensed books to accept bets on horse races.
Antigua and every other foreign nation and state should be
allowed to make the same decision about online gambling as the
U.S. states.
But only licensed operators, who meet the same standards as
American poker rooms, would be allowed to take bets from the U.S.
And these foreign states would have to allow their residents to bet
with U.S. online operators.
It is always dangerous to predict that Congress will act rationally.
But somebody is going to point out that if the states are competent
to make up their own minds on horseracing, they are competent to
do the same with dogracing, bingo, casinos and poker.
Professor I Nelson Rose will be teaching International
Gaming Law as part of Whittier Law School’s Summer
Abroad Program in France in July 2006. For more information, contact Prof. Rose through his website,
www.gamblingandthelaw.com.
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
45
Online Legends:
Eric “Rizen” Lynch
ONLINE POKER
Player Profile: Dewey Tomko
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22
Paul “Dr. Pauly” McGuire
Eric “Rizen” Lynch is considered on of the best online
tournament players around. He’s won the Sunday Million
Dollar Guaranteed on PokerStars, including numerous other tournaments online. The former IT guy from
Kansas recently quit his job to focus on playing poker
full tine. Rizen qualified for the WSOP main event after
winning a $160 shootout on PokerStars. He turned that
small investment into $494,797 after he came in 24th
place. Earlier in the 2006 WSOP, Rizen made the final
table of a Pot Limit Hold’em event and finished in 3rd
place.
I had a chance to catch up with Rizen after his elimination at the WSOP main event. He was surrounded
by his family, which is no surprise because Rizen is a
dedicated husband and father. I was impressed with how
calm and cool he was a few moments after he busted
out. He still took the time to speak with me.
Pauly: Do you feel weird being known as an internet
player?
Rizen: No. That’s what I am. That’s me. I don’t think
it’s a bad term, not like it used to be. I know some
people who use it in a derogatory sense. Online players
have had a lot of success recently, so I don’t mind that
term at all.
Pauly: Why do you think the play went so fast during
the last few days of the WSOP shampionship?
Rizen: I saw a lot of really aggressive European players, especially the Swedes and some of the guys from
Moscow. They are very aggressive. I hate to stereotype
a whole group of players but the Scandinavians, in particular the ones I played with are very aggressive. When
you play a very aggressive style, things are going to
happen quickly.
Pauly: At any point did you think that you could possibly go all the way?
Rizen: I tried not to. I was playing the best I could and
focused on that. All of this hasn’t sunk in yet.
Pauly: How has your family being around helped?
Rizen: That helps a lot having these guys around. It
gives me a sense of normalcy when I leave the Rio. I’m
still going to a hotel room, but I’m not going back by
myself. I’m with my family.
Pauly: Does this 24th finish at the WSOP change anything?
Rizen: I don’t think so. We’ll see where it goes from
here. I’ve had a lot of success this year. By far this is
the best that I’ve ever done. This is just another step.
I’m definitely pleased with how I did. I’ll remember this
moment for the rest of my life.
Pauly: Which do you prefer online play or live poker?
Rizen: I prefer playing online because it allows me to
stay at home and be by my family. It’s fun playing in the
big live events. But being away from home is a strain. I
won’t be playing too many live events this year with my
wife expecting our second child in December. I want to
be home for that.
Pauly: People are finally gonna put a face with the
name “Rizen.” Are you prepared for your impending
fame?
Rizen: I have not prepared for it at all. We’ll see how
everything happens after the episodes air on ESPN. I
have no idea what to expect. I’m a pretty laid back guy
so I’m not even sure I’m excited about the prospects of
being recognized.
Paul “Dr. Pauly” McGuire is a writer, poker player, and avid
traveler from New York City. He’s the author of the Tao of
Poker blog which can be found at taopoker.blogspot.com.
Feel free to contact him at [email protected].
46
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
player – “Matter fact he
doesn’t know how good he
is” – but with a family to
support in the Lakeland, Fla.,
area, Doug does not get to
Las Vegas much other than
at World Series time.
Tomko is sure what to
make of the swirl of events
whirling across the landscape
of the poker business.
“All this talk of suits, and
hiring agents and books and
business deals . . .”
The words trail away and
he gives it a shake of his
head, looking for the words
that will explain what he
feels.
“What is poker coming to? People crying and
whining on TV just to get
themselves noticed. I sometimes feel like I’m watching one of those wrestling
shows . . .
“I’m sure some of them
are making a lot of money
and doing real well. I wish
them luck, but that kind of
stuff, it just isn’t me.”
A smile drifts across his
face.
“People tell me I’ve
been on TV a lot, but I don’t
hardly watch any of it. I’ve
always enjoyed playing the
game, but I’m not into that
other stuff.”
Ante Up
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N E W S PA P E R P R E S E N TS . . .
The World Poker
Dealer Championships
AT
BINION’S GAMBLING HALL AND HOTEL
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA • SEPTEMBER 24-28, 2006
All public card rooms, worldwide are
invited to send one player and only
one for each game. That player will
represent your property. A player
can play in more than one event.
Players must be currently
working and have worked as
a dealer at the card room
they represent for at least six
months prior to the starting
date of each event. Winners
will be required to show proof
of employment. All dealer players must wear the uniform and
name badges of their casinos/
card rooms.
Participants may be selected
directly by the card room, or
through a satellite event to be
held at that card room (preferable).
Dealers who wish to participate are
encouraged to bring this event to
the attention of their Card Room
Manager. Card Room Managers should
contact Jim Delorto, Binion’s Director
of Poker Operations, and Tournament
Regularly employed Card Room
Dealers may not enter the main
tournament events directly, scheduled from September 23-28, 2006.
player from each card room may
play in each of the four events this
year. Contact your card room to run
a satellite for this event. Card Rooms
should contact Jim Delorto,
Director of Poker Operations
at Binion’s for further details
[[email protected]]
SCHEDULE
Sunday, September 24 – Omaha Hold‘em 8 or better*
Monday, September 25 - Limit Hold’em*
Tuesday, September 26 - Seven Card Stud*
Wednesday, September 27 – No Limit Hold’em*
*All final tables on the morning of the following day
Buy-ins for all events are $1,000
Entry fees for all events are $100
Director for further information. All
card rooms are requested to inform
Binion’s of their planned participation.
You may only enter as a qualified
satellite winner or delegate from
your card room. Only one dealer/
Special notice. In future
years, card rooms will be
permitted to send one set of
dealers for every 10 poker
tables normally in operation
at their property (maximum of 5 sets), HOWEVER,
this privilege will ONLY be
extended to those card rooms
who participate in this year’s
tournament(at least 2 events).
This rule will not apply to card
rooms that are not opened prior to
September 1st, 2006.
For further details, contact Jim Delorto, Binions Director of Poker Operations–jdelorto@binion’s.com
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
47
My Secret, PART 2
BacK in the saddle Again
Book reviews
Ultimate Guide
to Poker Tells
By OKLAHOMA JOHNNY HALE
Now, lets see... In my last column, I
was talking to you about... codes to
live by, and the secret that I have kept from Carol
for about sixty years. I was saying, “Money is not
heavy to carry...”
So when you come home from the poker game,
always make sure you still have a large bankroll—It does not matter whether or not you won or
lost—never let your wife or significant other guess
if you won or lost—always be a winner when you
come home!
So just make them happy, give her or him some
of your winnings—even if, in fact, you had a losing day. There, that is the secret—CAROL THINKS
I NEVER EVER LOSE when I play poker. I do not
bring the game home with me!
When I win, I tell her I won one half as much as
I did, and when I lose I just tell her I won again,
but she does not know that I am talking about last
week’s winning game—and I tell her I won the other
half that I won last week.
Remember Code #1? “Do not ever lie!” So I
do not break the code #1—I do not lie—I just delay
the truth and make it last over both the winning
day and the losing day. I give her a pocket full of
money on each day—IF I WIN OR IF I LOSE. She
shops and is happy.
Now my brothers and I were in business together and we were all equal in ownership. We were in
the construction business and property business,
and our business code was... never, ever, tell a client or customers anything except the absolute
truth. Then any one of the three of us could talk to
anybody and not wonder what the other brother
had said.
If President Nixon had followed this rule, he
would not have had to resign as president of the
United States, and Martha Stewart would not have
had to serve a few days fixing up the prison where
she spent a vacation.
Carol always says, “Johnny, during the past
sixty-odd years that we have been married, you
have won every time you have ever played poker! I
know that this is true, because you always have a
pocket full of money!”
Remember Code #2? “Money is not heavy to
carry.” So Carol can never ever tell the difference
as to whether or not I have won or lost! Remember
Code #3? “Always be good to the cook!”
So now you have my secret... Carol thinks I
never lose, and that each time I play poker, I win—
because she cannot tell the difference in me–I am
the same—if I have won or if I have lost.
Did I break rule # 1? Do not ever lie? I do not
think so—I play poker by the life time. It is one continuous game—I was broke and lived on a dirt floor
during the dust bowl years, and ate food thrown
to me from a truck with a shovel! I can never be a
loser—I have always won—and I always will.
I may lose a hand, or I may lose one night, but
in the lifetime of poker, I am a winner! Carol never
sees the valleys—I am always on top when she sees
me. If you play poker—with the life time view—I am
sure you, too, will never be a loser.
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.OK-J.com.
Johnny’s book, “The Gentleman Gambler,” is in its
third printing. Contact Johnny for your copy.
48
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
by Randy Burgess with
Carl Baldassarre
Triomph Books, 2006
ISBN: 1-57243-807-X
197pp, $16.95
The first word in the
study of poker tells is
undoubtedly Mike Caro’s
classic “Caro’s Book of
Poker Tells”. Despite
the phenomenal increase
in the number of poker
books, this area of study
has received very little
additional attention. The
topic has received sporadic coverage, but no
authors have directly
taken on the task updating Caro’s book. Burgess
and Baldassarre address
this topic head on in
“Ultimate Guide to Poker
Tells”.
“Ultimate Guide to
Poker Tells” owes a great
deal to Caro’s work,
something the authors
freely acknowledge. In
many ways it builds upon
the work Caro has already
done. It isn’t necessary
to read Caro’s book in
order to understand what
Burgess and Baldassarre
are saying, but I expect
that poker players who
want to read “Ultimate
Guide to Poker Tells”
will also want to read
Caro’s book, so I’d recommend reading them in
chronological order.
Burgess and
Baldassarre provide considerable coverage of
tells, although they don’t
catalogue them to the
same extent that Caro did.
They do, though, explore
several other issues not
discussed in “Caro’s
Book of Poker Tells”. For
example, in their chapter, “Becoming a Poker
Psychic”, the authors
discuss ways in which
players can become more
effective in their observations at the poker table.
They also cite some
interesting psychological
research that is directly
relevant to the book’s
subject. These topics provide good suggestions for
poker players and they’re
worth reading.
The authors also spend
an entire chapter discussing ways in which poker
players can improve their
self-awareness. Not
only should poker players want to pick up on
as many tells as possible,
but they should also work
to reduce the number
of involuntary tells they
exhibit. Burgess and
Baldassarre also discuss
some of the finer points
of giving off false tells.
This is an interesting
topic that has gotten very
little coverage in the
poker literature, and the
discussion here is reasonably thorough.
On more than one
occasion the authors
aren’t afraid to say they
disagree with some of
what Caro had previously
written. It’s my opinion
that their arguments are
well considered although
each reader will have
to decide for themselves
who makes the better
case in each
instance.
Overall,
I’m impressed
with what Burgess and
Baldassarre have accomplished in this book. I
wouldn’t call it a masterpiece, but it’s a worthwhile addition to the
poker literature. I would
still have to say that
“Caro’s Book of Poker
Tells” is the number one
book on the subject, but
“Ultimate Guide to Poker
Tells” is a worthy update
to Caro’s classic. I
would recommend that
poker players who want
to learn about tells read
Caro’s book first, but
if they find themselves
wanting to learn more
about the the topic they
should definitely check
out this book.
—Nick Christenson
Bat Masterson
In the end he’d crawl
(Continued from page 36) around to gun play and I’d
have to send him over the
jump….”
The gunslinger ‘n
Bat Masterson spent
gambler explained to the
his remaining years covPresident that a “man of
ering boxing. In 1921, at
my peculiar reputation”
age 68, the American legcouldn’t hold such an
end quietly passed away
office because “Some kid
who was born after I took while writing his column.
my guns off would get
drunk and look me over… e-mail: [email protected]
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Entertainment
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Entertainment RePORT
By LEN BUTCHER
Went to see a few shows last week--one new,
the other at a new venue. The first was The
Scintas, and for the five or six people (not
counting my mother) who read my column, you know that this is
one of my favorite shows in town and I have been recommending
it over the past five years when they performed at the Rio.
They have now taken their act to the Sahara with lots of good
new material, but the theater, in my opinion, is a killer. First of
all, the theater at the Rio was like a nightclub, with tables and
booths and the stage featured a runway that took the performers out into the audience. A perfect setup for The Scintas type
of show where there is a lot of interaction with the audience.
The Sahara’s theater, like most today in Las Vegas, has “stadium or movie seating”. Nothing particularly wrong with that,
and I have to admit the seats are comfortable. But the theater
itself needs to either be torn down, or a major facelift given to
it. There is nothing visually attractive about it. In fact, there is
nothing visual about it at all. It’s like walking into a large black,
gloomy room. Not the kind of setting you want for a show that’s
full of life with lots of laugh and great music.
The crowd still loved them and they got a standing O the
night I was there, but let’s hope the hotel gets sold fast (it’s on
the block now) and the new owners make the theater a priority.
Then there was the opening night for Toni Braxton and the
Flamingo has a winner on its hands. Not only does the six-time
Grammy award-winning artist have a great voice, but she has
a great rapport with the audience, which
means everything. Liberace once told me
that “no matter how talented you are, you
have to be likeable. Likeability is the key to
your success. If people don’t like you, you’ll
never make it.”
How right he was, and Braxton has it. She
knows how to play to the audience and with
her nine talented dancers, two backup singers and great band, creates a high-energy,
sexy show that should appeal to just about
everyone.
Toni Braxton
The show is called Revealed, a good choice, considering most
of the costumes worn by Braxton and her dancers, but it means
much more than skimpy costumes, as her selection of songs
illustrates.
I am putting this high on my must-see list. By the way, when
she changes microphones at one point and says, “I think I
deserve a million-dollar microphone,” that’s exactly what she’s
getting-a $1 million 500-carat diamond-studded microphone.
Now that’s class. Tickets range from $69 to $109. Braxton performs Tuesday thru Saturday at 7:30 each night.
The hot Latin singer, Shakira, is making the casino tour, performing at Trump’s Taj Mahal in Atlantic City on Sept. 1, then
moving on to Mohegan Sun Sept. 4. The 29-year-old Colombian
has become a major star since she first began composing music
at the age of 8. In 2000, she won an MTV Video Music Award and
was named Favorite International Star in the People’s Choice
Awards. She followed up with five MTV Video Music Awards Latin
America for Best Female Artist, Best Pop Artist, Best Artist,
Video of the Year and Artist of the Year. Not bad who, at age 10,
when trying out for the school choir, was told her voice was too
strong and teased by her friends that she sounded like a goat.
That “goat” turned into the kind of woman men dream of -good looking, great body, very sexy and with a great voice. What
more can you ask for?
I have only seen her on MTV and special appearances on
other television shows, but from friends who have seen her live,
say she puts on a great show. If you happen to be going to the
New York or Connecticut area first week in September, try and
catch the show.
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]
ARIZONA
Casino Arizona (17)
CALIFORNIA
Agua Caliente Casino
Beatle Mania Live
Comedy Shop
Arena Patio
DJ / Karaoke
Commerce Casino
Live Bands
Ballroom Dance Party
Cambodian Dance Party
Crystal Casino & Hotel (2)
Karaoke
El As De Oros Night Club
Ron White
Fantasy Springs Resort
Patti Labelle
Harrah’s Rincon
Finish Line Lounge
Hollywood Park Casino (5)
Pechanga Resort & Casino (39) Doobie Brothers
Burt Bacharach
Spotlight 29 Casino
CONNECTICUT
David Lee Roth
Foxwoods Resort Casino
NEW JERSEY
Chris Isaak
Borgata Hotel & Casino
Taj Majal Hotel & Casino (35) Shakira
Brad Garrett
Tropicana Casino & Resort
NEW YORK
Seneca Niagara Casino (23) Hall & Oates
Mariah Carey
Turning Stone Casino
NEVADA-LAS VEGAS
Young Guns of Comedy
Aladdin Hotel & Casino
Magician Steve Wyrick
Donn Arden’s Jubilee!
Bally’s Resort & Casino
“The Price is Right” Live Stage Show
“O”
Bellagio Resort & Casino
Binion’s Gambling Hall (30) Live Music in Keno Bar
Boulder Station Hotel & Casino (8) Toto
Celine Dion
Caesar’s Palace
The Guess Who
Cannery Hotel & Casino
Thunder From Down Under
Excalibur Hotel & Casino
Anthony Cools, Uncensored Hypnotist
George Wallace
Flamingo Las Vegas
The Second City
Sept 13, 7 & 9 p.m.
8:30 p.m. Feat. 3 top comedians weekly.
Joker’s Comedy Club, Karaoke Thursdays 8 p.m.
Sunday-Wednesday, 9 p.m.
Fridays & Saturdays, 9 p.m.
Thursdays 8 p.m. to Midnight, Sundays 2-6 p.m.
Fridays 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Thursday through Monday
Presents Banda Nortina Sats 8 p.m.-3 a.m.
Sept 2, 8 p.m.
Sept 10, 8 p.m.
Live Jazz, Tues. 8 p.m.
Aug 30, 8 p.m.
Nov 4, 8 p.m.
Sept 16, 9 p.m.
Aug 18-19, 9 p.m.
Sept 1, 9 p.m. & Sept 2, 7:30 p.m..
Sept 2-3, 9 p.m..
Sept 8, 8 p.m.
Sept 5, 8 p.m.
May 28, 8 p.m.
Ongoing, Wednesday through Monday, 7 & 10 p.m.
Sat-Thu, 8 p.m.
Tues, Thurs & Sat, 2:30 p.m. & Fri, 8 p.m.
Fri through Tues, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Fridays & Saturdays 8:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Sept 1, 8 p.m.
Sept 1-10, 7:30 p.m.
Sept 16, 8 p.m.
Fridays through Wednesdays. 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Thursdays thru Tuesdays, 9 p.m.
Tues through Sat, 10 p.m.
Thursdays through Tuesdays, 8 p.m.
Tue thru Sun (dark Mon), 7:30 p.m.,
Forever Plaid
Gold Coast (48)
Sun 3 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Gordie Brown
Fri thru Tue, 7:30 p.m.
Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino
TOOL
Sept 1, 8 p.m.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Clint Holmes
Harrah’s Hotel & Casino
Monday through Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino (25) Legends In Concert
Mondays through Saturdays, 7 & 10 p.m.
KEM
Sept 12, 7:30 p.m.
Las Vegas Hilton (21)
Menopause, the Musical
8 p.m. nightly Sat thru Thu
Luxor Resort & Casino (51) Carrot Top
Sun thru Fri, 8 p.m. & Sat, 7 & 9 p.m.
7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays; 8 p.m.
Mamma Mia
Mandalay Bay Resort &
Fridays; 7 & 10:30 p.m. Saturdays, Mondays.
Casino
Ron White
Sept 1, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Mary J. Blige
Sept 2, 8 p.m.
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
KA.
Fri thru Tue, 7:30& 10:30 p.m.
Impressionist Danny Gans
8 p.m. (Monday thru Friday)
Sept 1, 2, 15 & 16, 10:30 p.m.
The Mirage Hotel & Casino (11) David Spade
The Beatles LOVE
Thursdays thru Mondays, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Tuesdays thru Saturdays, 7pm; Tuesdays &
Magician Lance Burton
Monte Carlo Resort & Casino
Saturdays. 7 & 10 p.m.
The Orleans Hotel & Casino Air Supply
Aug 31-Sept 3, 8 p.m.
Earl Turner
Thu thru Sun, 8 p.m.
Palace Station Hotel &
Casino (8)
Gabe Kaplan’s Laugh Trax
Tuesdays thru Saturdays, 7 p.m.
Palms Casino & Resort (10) Howie Day & Five for Fighting Sept 21, 8 p,m,
The Comedy Zone
Plaza Hotel & Casino
9 p.m. Tuesdays thru Sundays.
ZowieBowie
Red Rock Hotel & Casino
Nightly, 8 p.m.
Crazy Girls
Wed thru Mon, 9:30 p.m.
La Cage
Wed thru Mon, 7:30 p.m.
Riviera Hotel & Casino
Splash
Tue thru Sun, 9:30 p.m
Neil Diamond Tribute
Sun thru Thu, 7 p.m.
Buck Wild
Mon-Sat, 9 p.m.
The Amazing Jonathan
Fri-Wed, 10 p.m.
Sahara Hotel & Casino
The Platters, Coasters and
8 p.m. nightly
Drifters
Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino (14) Corrie Sachs
Aug 29, 8 p.m.
Asleep at the Wheel
Silverton Hotel & Casino
Aug 11, 8 p.m.
Headlights & Tailpipes
Nightly. 7:30 p.m. (dark Monday)
Stardust Hotel & Casino
Rick Thomas
Ongoing, Thu thru Tue 2 & 4 p.m.
Bite
Ongoing, 10:30 p.m.
Stratosphere Hotel &
American Superstars
Ongoing, 6:30 & 8:30 p.m.
Casino
Viva Las Vegas
Ongoing, 2 & 4 p.m.
Cyndi Lauper
Sept 22, 8 p.m.
Sunset Station (8)
The Whip-Its
Nightly, 10:30 p.m.
Brian McKnight
Sept 15, 8 p.m.
Texas Station (8)
Mystere
Treasure Island
Ongoing, Wednesdays thru Saturdays 7:30 p.m.
Extreme Magic starring
Sat-Thu, 2 & 4 p.m. p.m.
Dirk Arthur
Tropicana Casino & Resort
Folies Bergere
Ongoing, 7:30 p.m. & 10 p.m.
Le Reve
Wynn Las Vegas
Ongoing, 8 p.m.
LAUGHLIN
Riverboat Ramblers Strolling
Colorado Belle Hotel Casino Dixieland Jazz Band
Fridays & Saturdays, 8 p.m.
The Bellamy Brothers
Riverside Hotel Casino
Sept 5-10, 8 p.m.
RENO
The Palmores
Atlantis Casino Resort
10 p.m.-4 a.m.
Smokey Joe’s Cafe
Eldorado Hotel Casino
Ongoing, 8 p.m.
Sept 17, 7 p.m.
Len Butcher, a 25-year resident of Las Vegas, is an Grand Sierra Hotel & Casino Juan Gabriel
Sept 1, 9 p.m.
Silver Legacy Hotel & Casino Joe Cocker
online columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal NEW MEXICO
Sept 14, 8 p.m.
and a former Managing Editor of the Las Vegas Sun Sandia Resort & Casino (46) Marco Antonio Solis
OKLAHOMA
and of Gaming Today. Reach him at [email protected] Cherokee Casino (49)
Travis Kidd
Sept 5, 8 p.m.
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LUXOR.COM
JV Makes His
Bones
KILLER Poker
By John Vorhaus
NOW! Get Tournament Listings at our website: www.pokerplayernewspaper.com
For a long time, the line on John
Vorhaus was, “As a poker player, he’s a pretty
good writer.” I used that line myself, in a
sort of self-deprecating, self-excusing way to
explain why I didn’t enter a lot of tournaments
and why you didn’t see my name in big money
final table lists. I was happy with my status
and my stance: I know that a good teacher
is worthy and worthwhile. But last month my
status and my stance changed, when I finally
made a final table worth mentioning – at the
2006 World Series of Poker, no less. On my
first attempt, no less.
The event was the $1000 buy-in Seniors no
limit hold’em event. (And yes, I’m old enough
to be a senior.) (Barely.) From the start, I
had one controlling idea: Stay out of my own
way. I knew that I didn’t want to put myself
in any tricky situations. I didn’t want to play
pots where I didn’t know where I stood. What
I wanted... what I almost always got... was to
win pots without a fight. It worked: I don’t
think I saw more than half a dozen hands past
the flop during the whole tournament except
when I was all in.
I set reasonable goals and kept to them. My
first goal was to not be a pumpkin. My next
goal was to make it to the dinner break. After
that, my goal was to make it to the money.
Once that happened, my goal was to make it to
the end of day one play. Starting day two, my
goal was to make it to the first break, then the
dinner break, then three tables, then two, then
one. At each step I concentrated only on what
came next. From first to last, my mantra was
play right now. Not a bad one, as mantras go.
Never a big stack, I was almost never even an
average stack. I was mostly a nearly imperiled
stack, but almost never completely desperate.
I think that being short stacked focused my
attention. It also narrowed down the things I
had to focus on. I wasn’t interested in postflop play to begin with, but for much of the
tournament that really wasn’t an option for
me anyway. I simply didn’t have the chips. It’s
interesting to think that I made it all the way
to the final table using so few of my tournament tools and strategies. And that, too, is
worth taking on board: Sometimes you don’t
need all your tools to win.
So I made the final table. There I ran into
pocket aces and, well, that was that. Still and
all… not too shabby a showing for an enthusiastic poker scribe who always felt that he
talked a better game than he played. Know
what? I’ve always talked the talk, but now I
walk the walk. So I think I’ll put that whole “as
a poker player he’s a pretty good writer” rap
to bed. As a poker writer I’m a pretty good
player, and I’m ready to own that now.
[John Vorhaus is the author of Poker Night and
the Killer Poker book series, and news
ambassador for UltimateBet.com.]
52
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
2006-2007 WORLDWIDE
POKER TOURNAMENTS
>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: A.R. Dyck, Assistant Publisher, at: [email protected]
DATE
EVENT
LOCATION
Jul 28-Sep 1
Legends of Poker
tThe Bicycle Casino, Bell Gardens, CA (AdPg 3)
>Aug 25-27 $500,000 Red River Roundup Win-Star Casino, Thackerville, OK
Aug 30- Sep 3 Edmonton Poker Classic
Casino Edmonton, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Aug 31-Sep 3
Bolton Poker Extravaganza
Grosvenor Casino, Bolton, U.K.
Aug 31-Sep 4
Oasis Open Poker Tournament Oasis Resort, Mesquite, NV
>Sep 2-4
Labor Day Wknd Poker Tournament Casino Arizona (AdPg 17), Scottsdale, AZ
Sep 5-Sep 20
Borgata Poker Open
tBorgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, NJ
Sep 5-24
Calif. State Poker Ch’ship
Commerce Casino, Commerce, CA
Sep 7-10
Welsh Masters
Grosvenor Casino, Swansea, Wales
Sep 10-17
Speedway Poker VIII
Garden City Casino, San Jose, CA
Sep 13-16
Barcelona Ope
eGran Casino de Barcelona, Spain
Sep 16-24
European Poker Championships Grosvenor Casino, Cardiff, Wales
Sep 18-Oct 7
US Poker Championships
Trump Taj, Atlantic City, NJ
Sep 21-24
EPT London
eGrosvenor Victoria Casino, London, UK
>Sep 21-25
Wild West Poker Showdown
Cherokee Casino Resort (AdPg 49), Tulsa, OK
Sep 22-25
Calif. Ladies State Poker Ch’ship Ocean’s Eleven, Oceanside, CA
>Sep 23-28 World Poker Dealer Ch’ships Binion’s (AdPg 30), Las Vegas, NV
Sep 24-Oct 4
World Series Event
sGrand Casino Resort, Tunica, MS
Sep 28-Oct 8
Fall Pot of Gold
Reno Hilton, Reno, NV
>Sep 29-Oct 16 Big Poker Oktober
Bicycle Casino (AdPg 3), Bell Gardens, CA
Oct 2-19
Fiesta al Lago V
Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV
Oct 4-8
Canadian Poker Championship Casino Yellowhead Edmonton, Alberta
Oct 7-10
Baden Classic
eGrand Casino Baden, Austria
>Oct 9-21
Niagara NPA
Seneca Niagara Casino (AdPg 23), Niagara Falls, NY
>Oct 14-27
Fall Poker Classic
Canterbury Park (AdPg 44), Shakopee, MN
>Oct 18-29
Nat’l Championship of Poker Hollywood Park Casino (AdPg 5), L.A., CA
>Oct 19-22
The Bay 101 Open
Bay 101 (AdPg 20), San Jose, CA
Oct 25-29
North American Poker Ch’ship Niagarafallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Oct 26-29
EPT Dublin
eRegency Hotel, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
>Oct 27-Nov 12 Fall Poker Classic
Cherokee Casino Resort (AdPg 49), Tulsa, OK
Oct 28-Nov 16 Foxwoods World Poker Finals
tFoxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, CT
Nov 3-19
Holiday Bonus
Commerce Casino, Commerce, CA
Nov. 8-18
Fall Poker Roundup
Wildhorse Casino, Pendleton, OR
Nov 9-12
Welsh Poker Festival
Grosvenor Casino, Cardiff, Wales
Nov 10-19
Peppermill Fall Tournament
Peppermill Hotel Casino, Reno, NV
Nov 20-26
B.C. Poker Championship
River Rock Casino Resort, Richmond, B.C., Canada
>Nov 24-Dec 11 Turkey Shoot/Ho-Ho Hold’em Bicycle Casino (AdPg 3), Bell Gardens, CA
Nov 28-Dec 19 5 Diamond World Poker Classic tBellagio, Las Vegas, NV
Dec 4-10
Christmas Cracker
Grosvenor Casino, Luton, U.K.
>Dec 18-23
Heavyweight Championship of Poker Sam’s Town (AdPg 14), Las Vegas, NV
Jan 4-25
Jack Binion World Poker Open tHorseshoe Casino Hotel / Gold Strike Casino Resort, Tunica, MS
>Jan 5-10
PokerStars.com Caribbean Adventure tParadise Island, Bahamas (AdPg 60)
Jan 6-19
Crown Australian Poker Ch’ship (“Aussie Millions”) Crown Casino, Melbourne, Australia
Jan 17-20
Scandinavian Open
eCasino Copenhagen (Radisson SAS Scandinavian Hotel), Denmark
Jan 21-25
World Poker Open
tGold Strike Casino, Tunica, MS
Jan 29-Feb 21
LA Poker Classic
tCommerce Casino, Commerce, CA
>Feb 19-Mar 2 Bay 101 Shooting Stars
tBay 101 (AdPg 20), San Jose, CA
Feb 21-24
French Open
eDeauville Casino, Deauville, France
Feb 22-24
WPT Invitational
tCommerce Casino, Commerce, CA
Mar 7-18
Spring Poker Festival
Concord Card Casino, Vienna, Austria
Mar 25-28
World Poker Challenge
tReno Hilton, Reno, NV
Mar 28-Apr 1
EPT Grand Final
eMonte Carlo Bay Resort, Monte Carlo
Apr 1-4
Foxwoods Poker Classic
tFoxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, CT
Apr 3-27
5-Star World Poker Classic
tBellagio, Las Vegas, NV
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Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge III Cherokee Casino Resort (AdPg 49), Tulsa, OK
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$400,000
September 19
No-Limit Hold 'em Match Play
$215
$300,000
September 20
Limit Omaha High/Low
$530
$300,000
September 21
No-Limit Hold 'em (rebuys)
$215
$1,000,000
September 22
Limit Hold 'em
$215
$200,000
September 23
HORSE
$215
$100,000
September 23
Pot-Limit Hold 'em
$530
$400,000
September 24
No-Limit Hold 'em
$1,050
$1,000,000
September 25
Seven Card Stud
$320
$100,000
September 26
Pot-Limit Omaha8
$320
$200,000
September 27
Pot-Limit Hold 'em
$320
$400,000
September 28
Seven Card Stud High/Low
$530
$200,000
September 29
Pot-Limit Omaha
$530
$300,000
September 30
HORSE
$5,200
$100,000
September 30
Limit Hold 'em
$1,050
$400,000
October 1
No-Limit Hold 'em
$2,600
$3,000,000
Win your seat today!
Satellites start at $3.30
HOME OF THE LARGES T TOURNAMENTS ONL I N E

at WSOP - Poker Player Newspaper

Transcription

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