at WSOP - Poker Player Newspaper
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at WSOP - Poker Player Newspaper
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 (Continued on page 10) 74470 05299 DOUBLE UP We have the biggest pros, it only makes sense we’d have the biggest sign-up bonus. Go to FullTiltPoker.com, and enter bonus code POKERPLAYER. 0 9 3 6> WSOP ers will remember him from The United States 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. *See Web site for details. Enjoy the free games, and before playing in the real money games, please check with your local jurisdiction regarding the legality of Internet poker. ©2005 Full Tilt Poker. All rights reserved. 100% SIGN-UP BONUS UP TO $600* w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 1 2 P O K E R P L AY E R SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SHE JUST SUCKED OUT AGAINST YOU. We’ll TEACH you to DEAL with this situation. SUBSCRIBE AT LIVEATTHEBIKE.COM AVOID COMMON MISTAKES. Live At The Bike is the ace up your sleeve. With access to over 1500 hours of archive footage available 24/7, you’ll be able to develop your game as you watch and learn. See every hand, learn every move, with the world’s first live poker cash game broadcasted directly from The Bicycle Casino. Professional Commentators Bart Hanson David Tuchman LOG-ON TO: WWW.THEBIKE.COM 7301 Eastern Ave., Bell Gardens, CA 90201 (562) 806-4646 The Bicycle Casino reserves the right to change or cancel this promotion at its sole discretion. All promotions and jackpots: no purchase necessary. See Official Rules at the Welcome Center. “The most important thing about Elimination Blackjack is preparation. If I’m in the game, be prepared to lose.” – Johnny Chan 10-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner TM ELIMINATION BLACKJACK: THE BLACKJACK GAME FOR POKER PLAYERS. TM Why is Johnny Chan so confident? Because Elimination Blackjack requires the kind of strategic thinking that’s won Johnny 10 WSOP bracelets. In this game, you have to battle the other players as well as the dealer. And in the Elimination Hands, the chump with the fewest chips loses his seat. Log on to the all-new bet21.com. Learn the rules, practice your strategy and take on the competition. You might even land a spot on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour™ TV show. Visit bet21.com. The place to prepare yourself for Elimination Blackjack. WIN A SEAT AT THE ST. KITTS CLASSIC!* 100% SIGN-UP BONUS UP TO $650* * Terms and conditions apply; see website for details. Void where prohibited. ©2006 Blastoff, Ltd. All rights reserved. All trademarks are properties of their respective owners. 4 P O K E R P L AY E R SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m THE PLACE TO PLAY ELIMINATION BLACKJACK. TM www.bet21.com Blackjack Poker Elimination Blackjack w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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 3883 West Century Blvd. Inglewood, CA 90303 (310) 674-3365 www.pokerplayernewspaper.com Stanley R. Sludikoff EDITOR/PUBLISHER [email protected] A. R. Dyck MANAGING EDITOR [email protected] John Thompson PRODUCTION DIRECTOR FOR idrome INFO DESIGN [email protected] Joseph Smith WEBMASTER [email protected] Mike Caro SENIOR EDITOR [email protected] Byron Liggett ASSOCIATE EDITOR [email protected] Jennifer Matiran ASSOCIATE EDITOR [email protected] Paul “Dr. Pauly” McGuire INTERNET EDITOR [email protected] 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. Advertising Sales NV (SOUTH), AZ, NM Debbie Burkhead 9030 Arkose Ct. Las Vegas, NV 89123 702-269-1733 fax 702-614-1650 [email protected] CA (SOUTH) Jennifer Matiran 714-585-3299 [email protected] ALL WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI, EXCEPT L.A. AND AREA LISTED ABOVE Byron Liggett North by Northwest Editor / Ad Manager P.O. Box 9874 Reno, NV 89507 775-746-5652 [email protected] EASTERN & SOUTHERN STATES Gary Shenfeld P.O. Box 780 Atlantic City, NJ 08404 609-892-6472 fax 609-345-5584 [email protected] 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 W8521 Tower Drive Adell, WI 53001 262-707-3536 [email protected] (Continued on page 14) Bonnie Demos EUROPE, CARIBBEAN & INTERNET Mike D’Angelo Mo Kings Poker Media Group Centro Commercial Plaza Real #21 Escazu Centro, San Jose, Costa Rica U.S.: 305-677-9905 Costa Rica: +506-837-2120 [email protected] 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. We dont pay pros, we pay you. Receive an extra $50 absolutely free when you deposit to your new Poker.com account. Just use coupon code POKERPLAYER61 when you make your first deposit w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 QUALIFYING PERIOD: June 30 - September 30 75 Hours Play To Qualify FIRST PLACE: $70,000 SECOND PLACE: . . . $30,000 11th - 50th PLACE: . . . $1,000 THIRD PLACE:. . . . . . $15,000 51st - 500th PLACE:. . . . $200 FOURTH PLACE: . . . $10,000 FIFTH PLACE:. . . . . . . . $8,000 SIXTH PLACE: . . . . . . . $6,000 CHIP LEADERS ON DAY 1 SPLIT . . . . $10,000 SEVENTH PLACE: . . . $5,000 EIGHTH PLACE: . . . . . $4,000 ALL PLAYERS NINTH PLACE: . . . . . . . $3,000 KNOCKED OUT TENTH PLACE: . . . . . . $2,000 ON DAY 1. . . . . . . . . $100each 9PlacesToPlay! Sahara At I-15 Boulder Hwy. At US 93/95 367-2411 432-7777 Sunset Road At US 93/95 N. Rancho at Lake Mead Hwy. 95 & W. Lake Mead 547-7777 631-7000 558-7000 US 95 at N. Rancho I-215 at Green Valley Pkwy. I-215 at Charleston 658-4900 617-7777 797-7777 Rancho at Lake Mead 631-1000 ©2006 Station Casinos, Inc., Las Vegas, NV Must be 21 or older. Visit the Poker Room for details. Management reserves all rights. Know Your Limits! If you think you have a gambling problem, call 1-800-522-4700. w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m sm Enter the World Series of Poker® Circuit Events at Harveys Lake Tahoe, September 7 – 17, 2006. The winner of the $5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold ’Em Championship wins a seat in the 2007 World Series of Poker® Main Event in Las Vegas and cash prizes. For information regarding the tournament call our WSOP hotline at 775-586-4949. For room reservations call 1-800-786-8208. Date Event # 9/7/06 Tournament Buy-In Mega Satellites Begin (3pm & 7pm) 9/8/06 1 No-Limit Hold ’Em 9/9/06 2 Limit Hold ’Em 9/9/06 $330/$550 $340 $1,060 Mega Satellite (7pm) $550 9/10/06 3 Ladies No-Limit Hold ’Em (10am) $230 9/10/06 4 No-Limit Hold ’Em $550 9/11/06 5 No-Limit Stud/Hold ’Em $340 9/12/06 6 No-Limit Hold ’Em $550 9/13/06 7 No-Limit Hold ’Em $1,060 9/14/06 No-Limit Super Satellite Day* 9/15/06 8 Day 1 World Series of Poker $5,150 9/16/06 8 Day 2 Circuit Championship Event 9/17/06 8 Day 3 No-Limit Texas Hold ’Em – Final Table *12pm $550, 4pm $330, 7pm $550 September 8 – 14 at 5pm Daily: Second Chance $175 + $25 No-Limit Hold ’Em September 15 – 16 at 7pm: Last Chance $175 + $25 No-Limit Hold ’Em Entry fees are included in all buy-ins. Single table satellites for all events will run every day, 24 hours a day. Tournament registration begins at 9am. All events start at Noon unless otherwise indicated. All events are (2) day events unless otherwise indicated. Ladies No-Limit is a one day event. 3% of the total prize pool of the Championship Event will be withheld for entry fees. 3% of the total prize pool will be withheld for tournament staff. Payment in cash or chips is required at the time of registration. Management reserves the right to alter or cancel at any time without notice. A complete set of rules is available at the poker room. Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. ©2006, Harrah’s License Company, LLC. T1600-06-357 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 9 Hot to Trot in Minneapolis: Canterbury Park’s Fall Poker Classic MIDWEST MILIEU By bonnie demos And they’re off! Thirteen days of pulse racing high stakes tournament action are about to begin at Canterbury Park beginning October 14, culminating in the $200,000 guaranteed Championship Event on October 26. This is your chance to compete against the Best in the Midwest at Canterbury Park’s annual Fall Poker Classic. Canterbury Park is located 20 minutes south of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Minnesota area with convenient access to the airport. The Fall Poker Classic Tournament schedule is as follows: Saturday October 14-Limit Hold’em $300 buy-in/$40 entry fee Time:Noon Sunday October 15-No-Limit Hold’em $300 buy-in/$40 entry fee Time: Noon Monday October 16-No-Limit Hold’em $200 buy-in/$30 entry fee Time:Noon Tuesday October 17-Limit Hold’em $200 buy-in/$30 entry fee Time:Noon Wednesday October 18-Omaha Hi-Lo $200 buy-in/$30 entry fee Time:Noon Thursday October 19-7-Stud $200 buy-in/$30 entry fee Time:Noon Friday October 20-No-limit Hold’em $300 buy-in/$40 entry fee Time:Noon Saturday October 21-No-limit Hold’em $500 buy-in/$50 entry fee Time:Noon SUNDAY OCTOBER 22-LIPS Ladies No-limit Hold’em $150 buy-in/$25 entry fee Time:Noon Monday October 23-No-limit Hold’em $300 buy-in/$40 entry fee Time:Noon Tuesday October 24-No-limit Hold’em $500 buy-in/$50 entry fee Time:Noon Wednesday October 25-Limit Hold’em $500 buy-in/$50 entry fee Time:Noon CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT: $200,000 Guaranteed Thursday October 26-No-limit Hold’em $1,000 buy-in/$70 entry fee Time:Noon • Tournament and Lodging Information : (952) 445 – 6870 • Email : [email protected] • Vice President of Card Club Operations – Jerry Fuller • Tournament Co-Directors – Jimmy Sommerfeld and Jan Phillips • 1100 Canterbury Road, Shakopee, Minnesota 55379 1-866-MNPOKER www.canterburypark.com 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 PRESENTS )).&& -+/,Win up to $750 per week! • Must hit “faces full house” or better to qualify • Win $150 cash each quarter • $150 Tie game bonus y& da ts! n u S igh N ay ond M And Join Us In The Poker Room For &)!) 1, Canterbury Park is the largest Poker Room in the Midwest, featuring 34 tables of live action 24/7. Jerry Fuller, the card room manager is a poker player, his expertise and standards of excellence have contributed to the tremendous success of this poker room. The poker room offers a comfortable smoke-free environment with tableside food and beverage service, as well as the opportunity to wager on the horses. Sixteen live table games including Black Jack and Pai Gow Poker adjoin the main poker room. Canterbury Park is a great destination to stay and play, the Minneapolis/St. Paul area offers a vast variety of options for dining, lodging, nightlife, entertainment, and last but not least shopping. The Mall of America is located about 15 minutes north of Canterbury Park. It’s getting close to post time, make your plans now to compete in the Midwest’s Largest Poker Tournament! I will keep you updated with final tournament results. Bonnie Demos from the midwest, Gambler, poker player and award winning chef, has enjoyed working in the gaming industry for the past several years. Write her at [email protected] 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! Jackets, T-Shirts and Hats! See the Palms Poker Room for complete rules. 4321 West Flamingo Rd. • Las Vegas, NV 89103 • 702.942.7777 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m ©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 Chip Count: 9,605,000 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 Chip Count: 7,970,000 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 Chip Count: 2,600,000 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. (Continued on page 19) “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. Where fortunes have been made. And more than a few legends, too. Daylight Challenge Monday – Thursday @ 1:30 p.m. No Limit Hold’em Friday & Saturday @ 1:30 p.m. . .No Limit Hold’em The Poker Zone Tournaments Sunday @ 5 p.m. . . . . Monday @ 7 p.m. . . . Tuesday @ 7 p.m. . . . Wednesday @ 7 p.m.. Thursday @ 7 p.m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .No .No .No .No .No Limit Limit Limit Limit Limit Hold’em Hold’em Hold’em Hold’em Hold’em mirage.com For Room Reservations 800-77-POKER (8OO-777-6537) Tournament Information 702-791-7291 (Continued on page 15) w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 Free Service – Free Money RakeTheRake is one of the largest and most reputable poker rakeback affiliates in the world. We work in conjunction with all the top poker rooms to secure the very best rakeback deals for all our players. What Is Rakeback? Upcoming events include the Mariani/Buss Charity Open on Thursday August 24 at 7:15 PM. The series culminates in the World Poker Tour Championship at 2 PM each day from August 26 through 30. The events for which we have results will be found below. BICYCLE CASINO EVENT #16 8/18/06 WPT EVENT SEASON 5 Poker rooms typically take a 5% cut of every pot, and this is called the “rake”. LEGENDS OF POKER The commission we receive for signing you up to a poker room is based on the rake you generate. BUY-IN $500 + $50 We give the majority of this commission back to you as rakeback. It can add up to tens of thousands of $$$ a year!!! How Do I Earn Rakeback? 7 CARD STUD PLAYERS 95 PRIZE POOL $47,500 Al Barbieri 1. Al Barbieri AKA “Sugar Bear” . . . . . $19,000 Philadelphia, PA, USA Simply select a poker room from our web site and follow the sign up instructions. 2. Barrett Heins . . . . . $10,925 Start playing poker and earning rakeback. 3. Chris Tryba . . . . . . . . $5,700 You can check your rakeback earnings daily through our secure rakeback tracker. 4. Fred Legaspi . . . . . . . $3,325 Receive your rakeback directly into your poker account, without transaction fees!! 5. Matthew Mortensen . $2,850 Why Choose RakeTheRake? 7. Steve Hearst . . . . . . . $1,900 Encino, CA, USA Boston, MA, USA Los Angeles, CA, USA Whitman, AZ, USA 6. David Lewis . . . . . . . $2,375 Glendale, CA, USA Reputable and Trustworthy Up to 40% Rakeback Over 15 Top Poker Rooms Simple Fast Sign Up Online Rakeback Tracker Manhattan Beach, CA, USA 8. Susan Lee . . . . . . . . . $1,425 Los Angeles, CA BICYCLE CASINO EVENT #15 8/17/06 WPT EVENT SEASON 5 LEGENDS OF POKER NO LIMIT HOLD’EM BUY-IN $1,500 + $80 PLAYERS 268 Prompt Reliable Payments PRIZE POOL $$$ Tournament Freerolls Exclusive Competitions Unrivalled Customer Service Over 10,000 Player Accounts $402,000 Superman 1. Superman . . . . . . . $150,750 Downey, CA, USA 2. Paul Kim . . . . . . . . . $74,370 Johnson City, NY, USA 3. Hoan Ly . . . . . . . . . . $36,180 Alhambra, CA, USA 4. 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Keith Sexton . . . . . . . $6,030 Henderson, NV, USA BICYCLE CASINO EVENT #14 8/16/06 WPT EVENT SEASON 5 LEGENDS OF POKER NO LIMIT HOLD’EM BUY-IN $500 + $50 the rakeback professionals PLAYERS 395 For more information email [email protected] $197,500 www.raketherake.com w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m PRIZE POOL Edwin Pairavi 1. Edwin Pairavi . . . . . $74,060 Encino, CA, USA 2. Robert Nehorayan . $36,535 Sherman Oaks, CA, USA egends of Poker in Full Swing 3. Jose Tavares . . . . . . $17,775 2. Jin Kim . . . . . . . . . . $15,770 Commerce, CA, USA Los Angeles, CA, USA 4. John Hoang . . . . . . . $11,850 Fountain Valley, CA, USA 5. David Liu . . . . . . . . . $8,885 3. Brian Belen . . . . . . . . $7,885 Los Angeles, CA, USA Irvine, CA, USA 4. Giebrehiwet Goitom . $4,980 6. Don Smith . . . . . . . . . $6,910 Los Angeles, CA, USA Thousand Oaks, CA, USA 7. Matthew Costello . . . $4,935 Rockport, MA, USA 5. Andrew Wang . . . . . . $3,735 Hacienda Hts, CA, USA 8. Morgan Machina . . . $3,950 6. Steven Ladowsky . . . $2,905 Mission Viejo, CA, USA Toronto, ON, Canada 9. Peter Lee . . . . . . . . . . $2,960 7. Ernest Scheree Jr . . . $2,075 Northridge, CA, USA BICYCLE CASINO EVENT #13 8/15/06 WPT EVENT SEASON 5 LEGENDS OF POKER NO LIMIT HOLD’EM REBUY ONE ONLY BUY-IN $500 + $50 Dublin, Ireland 8. Darlene Springman . $1,665 Farmingville, NY, USA BICYCLE CASINO EVENT #11 8/13/06 WPT EVENT SEASON 5 LEGENDS OF POKER NO LIMIT HOLD’EM REBUY UNLIMITED, ADD-ON 3. Anthony Guadagni AKA “bbwolf” . . . . $26,040 Torrance, CA, USA 4. Men “The Master” Nguyen . . . . . . . . . . . $15,445 (Continued from page 1) BICYCLE CASINO EVENT #10 8/12/06 WPT EVENT SEASON 5 LEGENDS OF POKER LIMIT HOLD’EM Bell Gardens, CA, USA 5. Soksary Heal . . . . . . $12,115 Los Angeles, CA, USA BUY-IN $200 + $30 BUY-IN $500 + $50 PLAYERS 187 6. William Ayon . . . . . . $9,085 PLAYERS 583 REBUYS 931 Los Angeles, CA, USA 7. Gaetano Lo Grande . $7,570 PRIZE POOL PRIZE POOL $93,500 Hue Duong Dana Point, CA, USA $302,800 8. Joeseph Haddad . . . . $6,055 John Kimmons Portland, OR, USA 9. Greg Sharp AKA “Savant” . . . . . . . . . . $1,455 1. John Kimmons . . . $109,000 9. Tony Abesamis . . . . . $4,545 Reseda, CA, USA West Covina, CA, USA St. Louis, MO, USA 2. Luis Calvo . . . . . . . . $52,990 1. Hue Duong . . . . . . . $37,400 Foothill Ranch, CA, USA 2. Geoffrey Wright . . . $17,765 Apple Valley, CA, USA (Continued on page 24) Aventura, FL, USA POWERFUL ADVERTISING REACH—USE IT! poker player PLAYERS 295 REBUYS 149 PRIZE POOL $222,000 George Gazelian 1. George Gazelian . . . $83,235 Tarzana, CA, USA 2. Giebrehiwet Goitom $41,070 Los Angeles, CA, USA 3. Minh Nguyen . . . . . $19,980 Lake Elsinore, CA, USA 4. Scott Wrelonghby . . $13,320 Raidoso, NM, USA 5. Amir Marmar . . . . . . $9,990 Las Vegas, NV, USA 6. Michael Simhai . . . . . $7,770 Beverly Hills, CA, USA 7. Jerry Garner . . . . . . . $5,550 Bellaire, CA, USA 8. Barbar Rahimi . . . . . $4,440 Los Angeles, CA, USA 9. Lance Allred . . . . . . . $3,330 Hollywood, CA, USA BICYCLE CASINO EVENT #12 8/14/06 WPT EVENT SEASON 5 LEGENDS OF POKER OMAHA HI/LO BUY-IN $500 + $50 PLAYERS 166 PRIZE POOL $83,000 Dao Bac 1. Dao Bac . . . . . . . . . . $33,200 Garden Grove, CA, USA To sign up, contact: Stan Sludikoff 310-674-3365 [email protected] Jerry Reed 650-327-4810 [email protected] Dick Gatewood 702-456-7777 *ASK FOR POKER ROOM [email protected] w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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 P O K E R P L AY E R SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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 some stupid furry rodent, Trophies for 1st, 2nd and 3rd soon to be a mid-snake lump, I was caught in her hypnotic Sign up at the Poker Room or by calling the cobra-like stare. I simply E3ÂD35=BG=C@5/;3 froze, the chip still in my casino box office 480.850.7734 hand. Many poker players $250 buy-in, $25 fee, limited to 400 entries believe that they can actuAdjacent to Scottsdale ally read their opponents’ 480-850-7777 casinoaz.com eyes. That in the slightest Voted Best Texas Hold ‘Em 2005 eye blinks or ticks they can discover a hidden truth. The Casino Arizona reserves the right to modify or cancel this promotion at any time. This Owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. eyes, or so poets say, are the tournament does not qualify for points challenge. See Poker Room for complete details. Please gamble responsibly. windows to the soul. If all AVY^Zh H C A R M E PIONS K O P E HIP T A T S GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL OF $100,000 No Limit Hold ‘Em Tournament Saturday, September 16th at 9 a.m. w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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 (Continued on page 32) Now Featuring... Progressive High Hand Jackpots! Twice daily No-limit tournaments 2pm and 7:30pm Sun-Thurs 2pm and 6:30pm Fri & Sat See or call the Jokers Wild Poker Room for details. (702) 567-8474 GOLD Rules WSOP 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 Chip Count: 17,770,000 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 Chip Count: 3,140,000 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 Chip Count: 6,770,000 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 Chip Count: 25,650,000 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 (Continued from page 11) 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 Chip Count: 4,815,000 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 Malibu, CA, USA (Continued on page 21) No Limit Hold-Em 08/03/2006 Buy-in $50+ $10 Players 59 Re-Buys 52 Prize Pool $6050 Play one hour from NOW thru September 30, 2006 to play in the October Quarterly Tournament to qualify for the D ber ecem 11 - 17 $10 $20+$3 Blackjack Add On Buy In 08/01/2006 Chopper Qualifying Tournament Congratulations 6 , 200 Ken Oklahoma Indian Gaming Assoc. Poker Champ Players 53 Re-Buys 66 Prize Pool $1496 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. G. C.............$509 S. F..............$344 T. 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Jim Shaw................$2070 Tommy Harkness...$1590 Rick Wright............ $1000 Phil Ball ................. $600 B.S........................... $360 B.B............................$240 No limit hold-em 08/06/2006 Buy-in $200+$50 Players 40 Prize Pool $9,700 1. 2. 3. 4. Clyde Coleman.......$4365 Dick Barrett ..........$2700 Mark Toby..............$1650 Manny Mejia .........$985 Exit 1 or 5 off I-44 SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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 (Continued on page 34) Day Game Buy-in Sun. nite/Mon. am ♦ Wed. nite/Thurs. am ♦ Spread Limit Hold‘Em Spread Limit Hold‘Em ♦ ♦ $120 $120 Registration begins 12 a.m. Tournaments begin 1:45am. Limited seating. Morning tournaments begin Sun.–Fri. 9:45 am & Sat. 8:45 am. Oct. 19 - Oct. 22 (start 10:15 am) Winners, Oct. 21 & Oct. 22 receive a $10,000 seat in the 2007 WPT– Shooting Star Tournament! 1801 Bering Drive, San Jose, California (408) 451–8888 bay101.com Play with your head, not over it. Is gambling a problem? Call 1.800.GAMBLER GOLD Rules WSOP 2. Paul Wasicka AKA . . . . . . . . “Kwickfish” . . . .$6,102,499 42. Brian Hansen . . . . $247,399 53. Richard Velasco . . $164,932 United Kingdom Puerto Rico Westminster, CO, USA 43. Paul Raeburn . . . . $247,399 54. Scott O’Reily . . . . . $164,932 Additional WSOP Event Results (Continued from page 19) 6. Esteban Urena . . . . $33,716 Las Vegas, NV, USA 7. Joshua Ryan . . . . . . $26,972 3. Mike Binger . . . .$4,123,310 Denmark United Kingdom Atherton, CA, USA 44. John Lee . . . . . . . . $247,399 4. Allen Cunningham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,628,513 Winnipeg, MB, Canada 55. John Ma . . . . . . . . $123,699 56. Sabyl Cohen . . . . . $123,699 45. James Routos . . . . $247,399 Oakland, CA, USA Las Vegas, NV, USA Seattle, WA, USA 57. Stefan Mattsson . . $123,699 5. Rhett Butler . . . .$3,216,182 46. Sean Johnson . . . . $164,932 Umea, Sweden Rockville, MD, USA Chamberlain, SD, USA 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 RIO ALL-SUITES CASINO 2006 WORLD SERIES OF POKER EVENT #45 8. Tam Nguyen . . . . . . $20,229 Salem, OR, USA 9. Lance Fryrear . . . . . $13,486 8/9/06 Edmonds, WA, USA NO LIMIT HOLD’EM 10. Victor Villasenor . . . . $7,417 Commerce City, CO, USA BUY-IN $1,500 PLAYERS 494 PRIZE POOL $674,310 11. Joel Casper . . . . . . . . $7,417 Chicago, IL, USA 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 (Continued on page 23) 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 Philadelphia, PA, USA 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 Los Angeles, CA, USA 21. Kevin O’Donnell . . $494,797 Scottsdale, AZ, USA 22. Lee Kort . . . . . . . . $494,797 Los Angeles, CA, USA 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 Los Angeles, CA, USA 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 Vienna, VA, USA 35. Ricki Nielsen . . . . . $389,865 Copenhagen, Denmark 36. Humberto Brenes . $329,865 Miami, FL, USA 37. Kyle Bowker . . . . . $247,399 Walton, NY, USA 38. Robert Betts . . . . . $247,399 Albuquerque, NM, USA 39. Marc Friedman . . $247,399 Zurich, Switzerland 40. Weikai Chang . . . . $247,399 Albany, NY, USA 41. Michael Thuritz . . $247,399 Stockholm, Sweden w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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 (Continued on page 46) WSOP at the Rio (Cont’d from page 22) 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 RIO ALL-SUITES CASINO 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 London, United Kingdom 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 RIO ALL-SUITES CASINO 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 (Continued on page 26) RIO ALL-SUITES CASINO 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 RIO ALL-SUITES CASINO 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 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m Heavyweight Championship of Poker— Now in Las Vegas! SEE PAGE 33 SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 Los Angeles, CA, USA 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 Los Angeles, CA, USA NO LIMIT HOLD’EM XTRA SPORTS 570 1. Al Barbieri AKA “Sugar Bear” . . . . . $18,960 8. Vic O. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,870 Philadelphia, PA, USA 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 Los Angeles, CA, USA 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 Los Angeles, 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 Beverly Hills, CA, USA 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 Los Angeles, CA, USA 4. Benjamin Nissanoff . $8,760 Los Angeles, CA, USA 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 Apple Valley, 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 Philadelphia, PA, USA 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 Los Angeles, CA, USA 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 Los Angeles, CA, USA 6. Jason Katsutani . . . . $2,110 Los Angeles, CA, USA LEGENDS OF POKER 7. Michael Lemkin . . . . $1,510 7 CARD STUD HI/LO 8. Boris Kostov . . . . . . . $1,210 BUY-IN $300 + $40 Beverly Hills, CA, USA 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 Apple Valley, CA, USA THERE’S MORE... ONLINE! NOW THE #1 POKER WEBSITE! www.pokerplayernewspaper.com w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m wing 9. Wayne Smith . . . . . . . . .$165 (Continued from page 13) 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 ENDLESS SUMMER 8/17/06 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 Los Angeles, CA, USA 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 Los Angeles, CA, USA 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 Los Angeles, CA, USA 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 ENDLESS SUMMER 8/8/06 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 ENDLESS SUMMER 8/7/06 ENDLESS SUMMER 8/9/06 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 ENDLESS SUMMER 8/16/06 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 ENDLESS SUMMER 8/14/06 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 ENDLESS SUMMER 8/10/06 $15,275 8. Mark Saginor . . . . . . $1,290 Beverly Hills, CA, USA 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— www.pokerplayernewspaper.com Fixed Limit Lessons Daily No Limit 11 a.m. Best “Comp Dollars” Anywhere No Limit Tournaments Sun./Mon./Wed. 1 p.m. $55 Re-Buy Single table sit-and-go tournaments available Tues./Thurs. 7 p.m. $55 Re-Buy Poker Room located on the Main Casino Floor Fri./Sat. 1 p.m. $55 Freezeout For tournament info, call 702.731.3311 ext. 3750 www.imperialpalace.com w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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] P O K E R P L AY E R 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 World Series of Poker. 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 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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 (Cont’d from page 23) 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. RIO ALL-SUITES CASINO 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 London, United Kingdom 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 PartyPoker.net is a Play for Free web site which does not offer any real gaming. For 18 years + (or 21 where required). PartyPoker is a trade and service mark of the PartyGaming group. Everyone’s playing The world’s largest online poker tournament The world’s largest poker party is here – the PartyPoker.net Monster. Running over the next 10 months, more players will win more prizes than ever before. It’s free to enter and easy to play. The PartyPoker.net Monster is the world’s most exciting online poker tournament and everyone’s invited. Play the Monster now at www.PartyPoker.net. The Monster unleashed now at www.PartyPoker.net Now Mac friendly PartyGaming Plc is a FTSE 100, publicly listed company on the London Stock Exchange. All rights reserved. © 2006. For terms and conditions visit: www.partypoker.net/about_us/legal_information.html 02829 30 P O K E R P L AY E R SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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: www.pokerplayernewspaper.com 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 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 •GOLD BAR DENOTES ADVERTISER 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 | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY 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 (Continued from page 18) 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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 www.pokerplayernewspaper.com DAILY TOURNAMENTS (CONT’D FROM PAGE 32) MONDAY •GOLD BAR DENOTES ADVERTISER SOUTHWEST TIME NM | TUESDAY GAMES BUY-IN| TIME | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY 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! w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 Card Cager Aboard (Continued from page 20) 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. w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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 •GOLD BAR DENOTES ADVERTISER 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 33) | TUESDAY GAMES BUY-IN| TIME | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY GAMES BUY-IN|TIME GAMES BUY-IN|TIME | FRIDAY GAMES BUY-IN|TIME Z........ Freezeout Sh ........Shootout Cz ............. Crazy + Re-buys and/or E...... 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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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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. (Continued on page 48) 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, w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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 World Series of Poker. 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 Pechanga Poker SEPTEMBER TOURNAMENT SERIES THURSDAY, SEPT 7TH 6:30PM $5,000 Guarantee No-Limit Hold’em $40 + $10 Buy-in FRIDAY, SEPT 8TH 6:30PM $10,000 Guarantee No-Limit Hold’em $75 + $15 Buy-in SATURDAY, SEPT 9TH 4PM $15,000 Guarantee No-Limit Hold’em $85 + $15 Buy-in SUNDAY, SEPT 10TH 4PM $10,000 Guarantee No-Limit Hold’em $75 + $15 Buy-in TH 6:30PM Ladies Only No-Limit Hold’em 1st Place: $1,000 Buy-in seat to the 2007 World Series Ladies Only Event $85 + $15 Buy-in THURSDAY, SEPT 28TH 6:30PM $5,000 Guarantee No-Limit Hold’em $40 + $10 Buy-in 6:30PM $10,000 Guarantee No-Limit Hold’em $75 + $15 Buy-in 4PM 2007 Big Showdown Series Tournament 1st Place: $10,000 Buy-in seat to the 2007 World Series Guaranteed $200 + $25 Buy-in THURSDAY, SEPT 14 FRIDAY, SEPT 29 TH SATURDAY, SEPT 30TH DAILY TOURNAMENTS DAILY DOUBLE JACKPOTS • Mon. thru Fri. 2-5PM • 1:30-3AM • 4-5AM • 6-9AM Monday, Sept. 4 - Free Buy-in for 10AM Tournament + $5 Entry Fee 10AM 5:30PM MONDAY 6:30PM 6:30PM to 9:30PM 9:30PM to Midnight TUESDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY No-Limit Hold’em Tournament $20 + $5 Buy-in Monday Night Football - Total $5,000 in Cash Giveaways $1,000 per quarter (4 winners @ $250 each) & $1,000 (5 winners @ $200 each) at 10PM No-Limit Hold’em Tournament $20 + $5 Buy-in Double Jackpot Stud Double, Omaha Triple and Hold’em Quadruple Jackpot $2,000 Guarantee $2000 Guarantee 10AM 6:30PM 3PM to Midnight No-Limit Hold’em Tournament No-Limit Hold’em Tournament Gas Give-a-way $200 Gas Cards to Pechanga Gas Station $35 + $5 Buy-in $20 + $5 Buy-in $4,000 Guarantee $2,000 Guarantee 10AM 6:30PM 3PM to 2AM 9PM to Midnight No-Limit Hold’em Tournament $20 + $5 Buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Tournament $20 + $5 Buy-in Cash Dragon Drawings at the top of every hour Double Jackpot $2,000 Guarantee $2,000 Guarantee 10AM 9PM to Midnight No-Limit Hold’em Tournament Triple Hold’em Jackpot Thursdays Stud and Omaha Doubled $20 + $5 Buy-in $2,000 Guarantee No-Limit Hold’em Tournament $20 + $5 Buy-in Cash Dragon Drawings at the top of every hour $40,000 Hold’em Jackpot Fridays (All Hold’em Games) Stud and Omaha Doubled $2,000 Guarantee WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 10AM 3PM to 2AM 6PM to 8PM 10AM No-Limit Hold’em Tournament $20 + $5 Buy-in $4,000 Guarantee 10AM No-Limit Hold’em Tournament* *10 hours live play weekly = free entry Free entry for TOC Players Sunday Football $5,000 Cash Giveaway $1,000 per quarter (4 winners @ $250 each) & $1,000 (5 winners @ $200 each) at 5PM No-Limit Hold’em Tournament Double Jackpot Sundays $20 + $5 Buy-in $2,000 Guarantee 1:15PM 4PM 1PM to 3PM & 6PM to 1AM Robert Daly, Tournament Director for the WSOP the Rio. Qualifying poker players receive casino rate on hotel accommodations. Players may order food from a menu and have it served table side. Drink service is always free, fast and continuous. The easiest parking in town puts the room a few short steps from your vehicle. $40 + $10 Buy-in $5,000 Guarantee All Weekday AM/PM Tournaments have an Entry Fee. All Jackpot promotions reset and doubled until end of promotion time. Tournament Series replaces Daily Tournaments on dates shown. Hotel Poker Rate is subject to availability Monday thru Thursday and no discounts on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Please see a Poker Room Floor Person for promotion details. Management reserves the right to cancel or modify promotions without notice. Must be 21 or older to enter Casino. SMOKE FREE POKER ROOM 45000 Pechanga Parkway • I-15 • Temecula • 877.711.2WIN • www.pechanga.com w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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] w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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. 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Registration 9:00 am * Tournament 10:00 am $22.00 Buy-In Includes $5.00 Entry Fee $10.00 Re-Buys First Hour High Hands Daily! 24 Hours with Payoffs from $50 to $600 Friendliest Poker Room in Town Act Now and receive a FREE DVD... THE "RC" FACTOR! To increase your luck even more! Call: 800-491-7141 Summer Slam Free Roll Tournament $25,000 Guaranteed Prize Money Or go to: roaringlionpublishing.com See Poker Room for Complete Details Or you can send a Money Order to: Roaring Lion Publishing Send Only $26.97 plus $6 S&H P. O. Box 8492 Asheville, NC 28814 (Total Retail Value $50.00 - Limited Time Offer - Act Now!) w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m Must be 21 years of age or older. Management reserves all rights. See Tuscany Poker Room for Rules and Details on all Promotions SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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. w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE NO-LIMIT TEXAS HOLD’EM DAYTIME TIME Sunday-Friday Noon Saturday Noon $500 Buy-In + $40 $10 Staff Bonus $7,500 Starting $2,500 Bonus EVENING TIME BUY-IN CHIP COUNT Sunday-Friday 8 pm $110 Buy-In + $15 + (1) $50 RB $1,500 Starting $5 Staff Bonus $1,500 Rebuy $1,000 Bonus Saturday 8 pm $175 Buy-In + $20 $5 Staff Bonus $10 of Buy-In Toward Bounty Pool (Bounty Tournament) BUY-IN CHIP COUNT $110 Buy-In + $15 + (1) $50 RB $1,500 Starting $5 Staff Bonus $1,500 Rebuy $1,000 Bonus $2,500 Starting $1,000 Bonus N EW S C H E D UL E EARN TRIPLE POINTS FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER.* T H E N E W F A C E O F P O K E R .TM For information call 702.414.POKR (7657) www.venetian.com TDA rules apply to all poker tournaments held at The Venetian. Management reserves the right to cancel or change tournaments. Three percent of total prize pool is withheld for poker room staff. Winners will be paid in casino chips. Residents of foreign countries without a U.S. tax treaty will be subject to withholding. Registration begins in the poker room two hours prior to the start of the event. Must be 21 years or older to attend. The Venetian management reserves all rights. *Applies to all live poker games. w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 $200 + $30 $200 + $30 $200 + $30 $200 + $30 $300 + $40 $500 + $50 $150 + $25 $300 + $40 $500 + $50 $500 + $50 $200,000 Guaranteed Championship Event! Oct. 26 Thursday No-Limit Hold’em $1,000 + $70 Tournament Co-Directors Jimmy Sommerfeld Jan Phillips Located 30 minutes from the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport For all tournament or lodging information, call 952-445-6870 or e-mail [email protected] 1100 Canterbury Road • Shakopee MN 55379 • 1.866.MN.POKER • www.canterburypark.com Sundays, 10:15 a.m. (sign-ups start at 7 a.m.) $10,000 Guarantee – First Prize $2,000 Plus $1,000 in Cash Drawings, every half hour, 4 — 11:45 p.m. $60 Entry Fee, No Re-buys. Lunch and $20 Poker Coupon Included. 140 Seats Maximum. NOW Every Day! Play NO -LIMIT Texas Hold’em More tournaments every day at 10:15 a.m. and Tuesdays & Thursdays at 7 p.m. For more information call 1-800-CHUMASH, ext. 3850. E. Hwy , Santa Ynez, CA Exit at Solvang, East through Solvang miles. Must be 18 or older to enter casino. Chumash Casino Resort reserves the right to cancel or change promotions. w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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. w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 The Apache Gold Poker Room Shark Club. As a member, you’ll get official jackets, shirts & hats. Quarterly free-rolls. Paid entries in our weekly tournaments. $100 cash on your birthday. Hotel discounts. Cash promotions every Wednesday through Sunday, and cash drawings the first Saturday of each month. Tournaments every Wednesday and Thursday at 6 pm, and Sunday at 3 pm. In San Carlos, five minutes east of Globe on Hwy. 70. For hotel or FunBus® reservations, call 1-800-APACHE 8. Go For The Gold. Poker room closed Monday and Tuesday. Must be 21 or older to participate in any gaming activities. apachegoldcasinoresort.com w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m 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] 4000 W. Flamingo Road • Las Vegas 367-7111 SPREADING DAILY $ $ 2- 4 Limit Texas Hold’em $ $ 4- 8 $ 100 Buy-in No-Limit Hold’em $ $ 1- 2 Blinds DAILY TOURNAMENT 10am $ 22 Buy-in No Re-Buys ALSO: All Games Full Blind 1/2 Kill $ $ 1- 5 7 Card Stud $ $ 3 Max Rake 4-$8 Omaha-Hi HOST YOUR OWN Private or Company Tournament Call For Details Poker Player Appreciation Days III Featuring the “Buddy Wheel” Friday, August 25 at 4pm through Wednesday, August 30 at 4pm Random players every hour have a chance to win $500, $250 or $100 A “buddy” drawn will have a chance to win $100, $50 or $25 Complete rules posted in Poker Room NON SMOKING 8 TABLES Come join us in the poker room OPEN 24 Hrs 7 days a week Entertainment Listings 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. 5 0 P O K E R P L AY E R S E P T E M B E R 4 , 2 0 0 6 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m IS IT GETTING COOLER IN HERE? Texas Hold-Em Freeze Out No Limit Tournaments Monday thru Friday 9 am One Re-Buy ($22 Buy, $20 Re-Buy) Daily at Noon ($30) and 8:30 pm ($62) Monday, Tuesday, Thursday at 4 pm ($50) Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at Midnight ($62) Sit and Go tournaments whenever there are 10 players ($62 or $122) Check the poker room for promotion rules. 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 P O K E R P L AY E R 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 >May 10-21 Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge III Cherokee Casino Resort (AdPg 49), Tulsa, OK START WITH $10,000 IN CHIPS Every Sunday Night 7 PM Club Caribe Casino (323)560-5995 7617 Atlantic Ave., Cudahy (L.A.), CA w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m ARE YOU PLAYING AT A DISADVANTAGE? 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All rights reserved. w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 53 GAME ON. TO LEARN, CHAT AND PLAY WITH THE PROS, GO WHERE THEY LIVE. 100% SIGN-UP BONUS UP TO $600*. 54 P O K E R P L AY E R SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m *See Web site for details. Enjoy the free games, and before playing in the real-money games, please check with your local jurisdiction regarding the legality of Internet poker. ©2006 Full Tilt Poker. All rights reserved. w w w. p o ke r p l a y e r n e w s p a p e r. c o m SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 P O K E R P L AY E R 55 WORLD'S LARGEST ONLINE TOURNAMENT 5th Annual World Championship of Online Poker 18 events $10,000,000 guaranteed $1,500,000 in free entries DATE EVENT BUY-IN GUARANTEE September 16 Razz $215 $100,000 September 17 No-Limit Hold 'em $530 $1,500,000 September 18 Pot-Limit Omaha (rebuys) $320 $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! 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