Pokerplayernewspaper.com Back Issues Pp070319s

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9
Celebrity Crossword PAGE
tribute to
James Woods
12
26
14
17
20
Doyle Brunson’s
new column—
Power Poker!
PAGE
PAGE
Entertainment
Best Bets
20
40
POKER PLAYER
Vol. 10 Number 19 March 19, 2007 A Gambling Times Publication www.pokerplayernewspaper.com Copyright ©2007 Bi-Weekly $3.95 USA/$4.95 CANADA
Fantastic Finish for Feldman Hershler Wins
at Harrah’s Rincon! Commerce LAPC
Championship
Feldman Becomes Second
Player Ever to Win Two WSOP
Circuit Championships
Michiganer Peter Feldman
shows off winning cards
worth $280,859
By Nolan Dalla
For the third consecutive year, the World
Series of Poker Circuit was the feature attraction at the Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort.
Harrah’s Rincon is located about 40 miles
northeast of San Diego, nestled in a lush
mountain valley. Owned by the Rincon San
Luiseno Band of Mission Indians and man(Continued on page 9)
Jennicide Plays Pechanga
Pechanga Resort & Casino played host to
the most recent FHM Magazine photo shoot.
Rising star poker player Jennifer Leigh,
a.k.a. “Jennicide,” posed as the cover and
inside layout model. After her photo shoot
at California’s largest resort/casino, located
in Temecula, CA, Jennicide stopped into the
casino’s poker room to ply her skills against
some of the locals. She grew her chip stack
and says she came out with more than she
started. By the looks of things, she charmed
her competitors out of their chips. You can
see “Jennicide’s” FHM photos in the April
online edition.
Defeats J.C. Tran,
takes home nearly
$2.5 Million
By Lou Krieger
The L.A. Poker Classic
Championship (LAPC)
event at Commerce Casino
smashed records for the
largest field and largest prize
money for a $10,000-buy-in
World Poker Tour (WPT)
event and for a WPT event
held in the continental U.S.
The championship event
winner, Eric Hershler, a
Power Poker
Dame (to be
published in 2008).
0
74470 05299
9
1 2>
By Wendeen H. Eolis
Editor’s Note: This story
is part of material that may
be incorporated in Ms.
Eolis’ forthcoming book,
In February, the big buzz
in the poker world was the
arrival of former Senator
Alfonse D’Amato, as the
chief lobbyist of the poker
organization that has set
itself up to be the voice of
online poker gaming interests. Finally, the PPA has
been graced with a story
in the New York Times that
confirms Mr. D’Amato’s
presence on the scene.
(Continued on page 9)
CORRECTION
It seems there’s more than one poker pro
named Phi Nguyen, and we mistakenly published a photo of the wrong Mr. Nguyen in connection with the “Player Profile” we ran on him
on page 16 of our last issue. Our apologies,
Phi! But here find the correction and the
front page recognition you surely deserve!
A Word from the
“Mad Genius,”
Mike Caro
Can Online Poker be Saved?
Wendeen H. Eolis
South African born attorney
now residing in Los Angles
Today’s word is...
“ELIMINATION”
Turn to page 4 for more
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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
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
P O K E R P L AY E R
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M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
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POKER NEWS
Caro’s Word: “Elimination”
By John Caldwell
HARRAH’S ANNOUNCES
WORLD SERIES OF
POKER EUROPE
In a continuing effort to make the WSOP a
more global event, Harrah’s recently announced the first
ever World Series of Poker Europe. The nearly two-week
long series will be hosted in three different locations in
London, and while all events are not yet announced, three
events are set. The inaugural WSOP Europe will open on
September 6th with a three-day H.O.R.S.E. event with a
£2,500 (approx. US $4,900) buy-in. Also, on September
8th, there will be a £5,000 (US $9,800) buy in Pot
Limit Omaha event. Finally, the Main Event will start on
September 10th, with all three host casinos participating.
The £10,000 (US $19,600) buy-in No Limit Event is sure to
bring poker’s biggest and brightest to London. The U.K.’s
regulated online gaming environment allows online poker
sites to freely feed players into the field as well as permit
many of the advertising perks for online gaming companies not possible in the post UIGEA United States, all of
which should ensure a nice turnout to the WSOP Europe.
TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS
ASSOCIATION (TDA) ANNOUNCES
NEW RULES
The TDA, an association founded in 2001 by Matt Savage,
David Lamb, Linda Johnson, and Jan Fisher held their
annual meeting recently to update their rules. The TDA
rules are the governing rules of a large number of the
poker rooms and casinos in the U.S. Two new guidelines
were established, and many rules were updated. The
most intriguing change is the rule involving penalties
in tournaments. Penalties in tournaments will now be
assessed on a ‘number of hands’ basis, and no longer
simply on a ‘time away from the table’ basis. So, a penalized player will be given a certain number of hands he
must miss, instead of simply being away from the table
for ‘x’ amount of minutes. This rule change was designed
to prevent “stalling” by players who felt a penalty had
been unfairly assessed. The new TDA rules will take effect
in all TDA compliant card rooms and casinos on March
15th.
CHINA SET TO ‘PURIFY’ THE
INTERNET
Several news outlets are reporting that the Chinese
Government has launched a program aimed at cracking
down on online gambling, and ‘purifying’ the Internet.
One Chinese official had this to say. “The prevalence
of online gaming has ruined the online environment
and harmed young people’s growth.” In related news, a
recent study cites that 67 percent of Chinese people do
not believe smoking has any ill effects – including harming the growth of young people.
MAN LOSES MIND, DAUGHTER IN
POKER GAME
Fifteen years ago, a Pakistani man racked up a poker
debt to his opponent of about 10,000 rupees (approximately $151). Unable to pay the debt, the man told his
friend he could “have his daughter” when she grew up.
The father is deceased, but the opponent is very much
alive, and has now shown up to collect. The opponent,
whose name is Lal Haider, wants the 17 year old girl,
named Rasheeda, to marry her off to his son. While the
issue is not resolved, a tribal policeman has come out
and said that they will not “make the girl do anything
against her will.”
John Caldwell is the Editor-In-Chief of PokerNews.com,
a leading poker information portal. Prior to PokerNews,
John spent 15 years in music artist management, working
with artists like Stone Temple Pilots, and Hootie and the
Blowfish. Originally from Redondo Beach, CA, John lives
in Los Angeles, and spends about 4 months a year in Las
Vegas.. Reach him by e-mail at [email protected].
4
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
In
poker, there are
some misconceptions that are
widely accepted
as gospel. For instance,
many serious players, even
professionals, believe that
cards come in unexplainable streaks – hot and cold.
When you’re on a hot steak,
they think, your fortunes
are more likely to be favorable on the following hand.
And when you’re on a cold
streak, you should expect
bad fortune to continue.
So, when they’re experiencing a good run, they
take more chances and play
more aggressively. When
they’re experiencing a bad
run, they play fewer hands.
That actually turns out
to be a good tactic, but not
for the reason they assume.
You can, indeed, profit by
playing more hands, more
aggressively, when you’re
getting good cards. But
it has nothing to do with
streaks or superstition. It
has to do with the likelihood that your opponents
will be more intimidated by
you when they notice that
you’ve been winning. In
that state, they’re less likely
to take full advantage of
their own good cards. And
that means you can make
extra profit by pushing
yours for maximum value
without fearing retaliation.
So, let’s call that a harmless misconception. There
TUSCANY
Suites & Casino
are, unfortunately, poker
misconceptions shared
by both novice and experienced players that are
costly. Today I’m going to
talk about one that has to
do with tournaments. Let’s
revisit a lecture I gave over
a decade ago. Here’s the
transcript…
A poker tournament
misconception
Even among professional
poker tournament players – those who make the
rounds from casino to casino across the world – playing in 300 or more events
each year, you’ll hear an
often-repeated tournament
concept that’s absolutely
screwy!
The bad advice is: You
must always seek to eliminate players in a percentage-payoff tournament.
Wanna know the truth? The
truth is, unless you have a
significant advantage, you
should seldom go out of
your way to eliminate players early in a tournament.
Even if you have mountains
of chips and your opponent has only a few, it is
not your job to force an
opponent all-in in hopes of
eliminating him.
But this notion is so
entrenched among some
tournament players that
they even swear that you’re
required to make a “cour(Continued on page 35)
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A Gambling Times Publication
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www.pokerplayernewspaper.com
Stanley R. Sludikoff
PUBLISHER
[email protected]
Lou Krieger
EDITOR
[email protected]
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MANAGING EDITOR
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McGuire
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H. Scot Krause
PROMOTIONS EDITOR
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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 19.
Copyright © March 2007 by Gambling
Times Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without
written permission is prohibited.
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Distribution to newsstands, card clubs, poker rooms and
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Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and Europe.
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
5
Declining Aggression
KRIEGER’s CORNER
By Lou Krieger©
If you took a poll of poker players and
asked them whether they thought online
poker or the brick-and-mortar variety was more aggressive, I’d venture to say that most respondents would
come down on the side of online poker being the more
aggressive of the two. Although there’s plenty of room
for disagreement, there’d also be loads of anomalies just
based on the nature of the players even if there were
some perfect way to determine which kind of game was
more aggressive.
I play a lot of hold’em online, and if you ask my opinion,
I’d tell you that in the mid-limit games that I play, and
those include $10-$20, $15-$30, $20-$40, and $30-$60 as
well as the hold’em segments of mid-limit HORSE games,
poker in cyberspace seem to be more aggressive than
games at the same limits in brick and mortar casinos.
Anyway, that’s my opinion. It’s not scientific. I didn’t
take a survey. It’s just anecdotal — one man’s opinion.
But I think it’s easier for players to be aggressive online
because they are not subject to the constraints that
occur when you look other players in the eye and know
when they see you acting a bit friskier than you ought to
be. It’s probably also the reason online players call too
much. There are no other live players to serve as speed
governors.
But it’s transient aggression. I see it all the time. I
come into a pot for a raise and someone else comes in
for three bets by reraising. I’ll call his raise but check
when the flop misses me. When another blank comes on
the turn I’ll either come out betting or raise my opponent
because I’m putting him on two overcards and my raise
tells him that I’m the guy with the big hand, not him.
If he three-bets the turn, I’m outta there, but usually he
will fold and I’ll type something like “good laydown” in the
chat box. Sometimes I’ll type “just a pair of treys” which,
of course, usually convinces him that I had a pocket pair
of aces.
If my opponent is the aggressor from early position—let’s say he limped in and then reraised from early
position—he’ll always come out betting regardless of what
flops. I’ll call or even raise if the flop looks like the kind
that missed both of us. Often all it takes is for me to come
out betting the turn to cause him to release his hand.
When players are often overly aggressive before the
flop they can’t have a powerhouse hand every time they
raise. Sure, sometimes they go on a real rush and make
hand after hand, but usually they speed around far too
much, and even they realize they have to fold when
someone plays back at them.
This kind of early aggression that turns into declining aggression on later betting rounds is very common
online, and you can take advantage of it if you don’t over
do it. By positioning yourself in your opponent’s mind as
a very selective player, you can take advantage of early
declining aggression by forcing your opponent to fold the
weakfish hands he bluffs with too often.
There’s money to be made there, and every time you
play correctly by folding your weak hands, you’re even
supporting your selectively aggressive strategy because
your opponent sees you fold. After a while, he’ll begin to
see you as a frequent folder. And compared to his style of
play, you are.
But if you dial in this play at the right frequency—so that
your opponent continues to buy it—you can bet or checkraise him at the right opportunity with little more than a
better knowledge of his playing style than he has of yours.
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].
6
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
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M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
7
New Millennium Poker
Poker By
The Stars
NORTH BY NORTHWEST
By Byron Liggett
Poker History is being made at the Folsom
Lake Bowl, Sports Bar & Casino, in Folsom CA,
adjacent to Sacramento. It’s the first card room
to completely convert to fully-automatic, computer-conducted poker tables. No dealers. Hal runs the game.
Traditional poker tables have disappeared from the Folsom
Lake Casino. They’ve been replaced by five high-tech tables each
of which seat 10 players comfortably. The “smart” tables are the
product of PokerTek Inc., headquartered in Charlotte, NC.
Players sit at a touch-screen monitor with clearly marked “buttons” for every action, including check, fold, raise, “all-in”, etc.
Chip icons on the screen permit players to make a variety of bets.
The individual player’s screen also includes a small graphic
illustration of the table with every player’s first name (or poker
name) at their seat. Being able to see the names of all the players may make the game a little more social than a traditional
game.
A large, oval betting area in the middle of the table is a flat
video screen. A player can watch the computer-generated cards
being dealt around the table and each player’s response in turn.
Chip totals are instantly displayed after every action.
The cards are random generated and “Hal” doesn’t make mistakes. What’s more, the game is faster. No other card room can
offer players an “average of 50 hands an hour dealt with 100%
accuracy,” boasts Dan Dreher, owner of the Folsom Lake Bowl
Casino.
Games available are limit to no-limit Texas Hold’em. Omaha can
be played hi/low split and pot-limit. Omaha players like the fact
they’ll get to see 40 hands an hour,” Dreher says.
The sharp graphics and versatility of the software are impressive. Common problems such as players acting out of turn, flashing their cards, mis-counting their bets, forgetting their blinds,
etc. are eliminated. Within minutes the game is flowing smoothly
for even the most inexperienced novices.
Dreher points out that the system “makes running a multitable tournament almost effortless. Now, a single staff member
can oversee the entire process from registration to the conclusion of the Final Table.”
Players buy-in at the cage and are credited with chips at their
table and seat. A player’s casino card activates his seat. When it’s
time to leave, players simply go to the cage and cash in, or they
can leave their money in their account.
The ease with which players adapted to the high-tech game
was surprising. The enthusiasm of younger players, accustomed
to computer and Internet play, for the PokerTech games is clear
evidence there’s a market for automatic poker.
Does the arrival of New Millennium Poker mean decks and dealers are destined to become relics of a bygone era? Not yet.
A vital part of cards-‘n-cash Poker is its intimacy. It seems a
lot easier to push the “all-in” button than it is to shove everything you’ve got into the pot. Like Johnny Moss said, “When I go
for the jugular, I want to be able to smell the guy.”
High-Tech Poker is like Arena Football. It has a place, but it’s
not going to replace The Real Thing.
Win or lose, a new chapter in the History of Poker is being
written at the Folsom Lake Casino. Bet on it.
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]
8
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
A Joe & Hobby fiction by
David J. Valley
had just gotten back from
a three-day business trip
to San Francisco. I stopped
to see Hobby at his yacht,
Lazybuns. Since it was late
in the afternoon, maybe we
could do dinner.
“Hey Hobby, what have
you been doing?” I said as I
helloed him from shore.
“Come aboard. I’ve been
doing some research, Joe. I
met a Poker Astrologist.”
“Really, Hobby? Are you
going dippy on me?”
“No. This is straight
stuff.”
“Yeah, sure. Tell me about
it.”
“I was looking in the
classifieds for parts for my
dune buggy when the Poker
Astrologist heading caught
my eye. I made an appointment and met a very interesting lady. She knows poker
and explained how luck isn’t
random. It’s influenced by
one’s sign and the alignment
of the stars and planets.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,
Hobby. You didn’t fall for
that. Did you?”
“Don’t knock it, Joe. It
makes sense if you’re openminded about these things.”
I could tell Hobby was
serious, so I decided to back
off. I wouldn’t tell him it was
a bunch of hooey. “I must
confess, Hobby, I don’t get.
How does it work?”
“She made my chart for
the month. Take a look at
this. See, up there is the
alignment of the planets. I
don’t really understand that,
but take look at this. Across
the bottom are the days of
the month. The wiggly line
is my energy fortune. When
it goes below the horizontal
line it’s out of sync. When it
goes above, my fortune is in
tune with the planets. That’s
when I should be gambling.
Each day there are a few
special numbers, one through
thirteen for ace through king,
either above or below the
line. If they are below the
line you should stay away
from them, if above the line
they are favorable for play.”
I thought: give me a break,
I
but I kept it to myself. “Have
you tested this yet?”
“Nope. Maiden voyage is
tonight. You wanna come?”
“Sure. I’ll even treat for
dinner, so it won’t be a total
bust for you.”
“I’ll accept your offer, Joe,
but I won’t accept the notion
that it’ll be a bust.”
“Whatever. Where we
going?”
“How about Commerce?
I’ll pick you up at seven?”
“I’ll be ready.”
“Oh! Wait a minute, Joe.
I’ve got a surprise for you. I
had her make up a chart for
you, too. You want me to
explain it?”
“No. I understand,” I said
as I took it from his hand.
“I’ll see you later.”
Glancing at my chart as I
drove to my condo, I though,
what a stupid thing Hobby’s
gotten into. I like to see him
engaged in the mental pursuits, but I didn’t like to see
him disappointed. Oh, well.
It wouldn’t be the first time
for either of us.
When Hobby picked me
he asked, “Did you look at
your chart?”
“Yes, I did. Guess what?
This is supposed to be a bad
time for me. My energy fortune is off the bottom of the
page.”
“You better not gamble,
Joe.”
“Ah, baloney! I’ll show
you it’s a lot of bunk!”
Hmm, my reaction was a bit
excessive. Is this hokum getting to me?
Hobby and I went to different tables. My first Hold
‘Em hand was a pair of
pocket rockets. So much for
my negative fortune line!
I made a modest raise and
three players called. The
flop was a rainbow of mixed
values. I doubled my last bet
and two players called. The
turn was a non-threatening
jack. I continued my slow
play and just repeated my
previous bet. I wanted to
milk this for all it was worth.
One player folded, the other
called. The river was a three
of spades. Wasn’t the three
marked on my chart as an
especially unfavorable card?
I sneaked a peek to check.
Yep, it was a supposed to be
a bad one. But that’s bullshit,
right?
“All-in,” I bet just to show
what I thought of poker
astrology. I was a little surprised when my opponent
called. I didn’t see anything
on the board to be afraid
of, but when he turned over
the pair of treys it was like
a blow to the solar-plexus.
I got up and staggered off.
Holy shit! I can’t believe this.
I was headed for the bar,
which I decided was a good
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Feldman Wins Rincon
aged by HCAL, a subsidiary of Harrah’s Operating
Company, the 21-story luxury
hotel and casino is one of
southern California’s most
peaceful getaway destinations.
But the Harrah’s Rincon
Poker Room has been far
from peaceful this month.
Following ten days of preliminary events which awarded
over a million dollars in
prize money to more than
200 poker players from several states and five different
countries, the $5,000 buy-in
championship event began
with 181 entries. The size of
the field created a total prize
pool of $877,850. Eighteen
players received prize money.
Former world poker champions Scotty “the Prince”
Nguyen (1998), Chris “Jesus”
Ferguson (2000) and Carlos
“the Matador” Mortensen
(2001) entered the main
event. The tournament also
attracted former WSOP
gold bracelet winners Annie
Duke, Layne Flack, Barry
Greenstein, Gavin Griffin,
Kathy Liebert, Max “the
Italian Pirate” Pescatori,
Robert Williamson III and
Todd Witteles. Other notables
in the field included Peter
Feldman, Phil Gordon, Erik
Lindgren, Gavin Smith, and
James Van Alstyne. The
majority of players qualified
to play via satellite tournaments that were held over the
last two weeks at Harrah’s
Rincon.
(Cont’d from page 1)
The Harrah’s Rincon
championship event took
place over three days. Onehundred forty-eight players
busted out on day one, leaving 43 survivors to return to
play on day two. Another
34 players busted out on the
second day. The final nine
appeared at the final table,
played Thursday, February
22nd.
With his victory, Mr.
Feldman joins Chris “Jesus”
Ferguson as the only player
ever to win two championship events on the World
Series of Poker Circuit. Mr.
Feldman won the Harrah’s
Hershler Wins Commerce
LAPC Championship
and playing in his first live
tournament, took home
$2,429,970 — the largest
first prize ever awarded
for a non-championship
WPT event — along with a
$25,000 seat in April’s WPT
World Championship at the
Bellagio in Las Vegas. J. C.
Tran, who finished second,
won $1,177,010.
All told, fifty four players
shared in the prize pool for
this event and the 790 player
field swelled prize money
to a whopping $7,593,600
for the final event and cul-
minated in a grand total of
$16,864,483 in winnings
during the month-long tournament series.
Commerce Casino
Manager Tim Gustin said,
“We continue to grow and
attract new players. In fact,
we had record numbers for
tournaments throughout the
month, showing that the
game is growing at all levels-from $300 buy-ins up to
$10,000. We are thrilled that
our winner will also be taking home a record first prize
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M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
9
LESSON 97:
The Proper Way
to Intimidate.
Lessons from mike caro
university of poker
BY DIANE M C HAFFIE
There are different forms of intimidation. Some
players think that by being loud, obnoxious bullies
with forceful, aggressive images they can successfully intimidate
opponents. Their goal is to profit from mistakes caused by upsetting
their victims.
These intimidators fail to realize something. By making the game
so unpleasant, opponents are either sitting out pots they might otherwise be involved in or choosing to play elsewhere.
Because of this intimidator’s attitude and the image he is portraying, he is driving out the money. Weak players that frequently make
errors in judgment are the ones that he should want to befriend, not
drive away.
Humiliating. He thinks that by insulting their plays in a nasty,
humiliating way that he will upset them, thereby reaping more profit.
Yes, he has them trembling in their seats. They are probably thinking
about a pack of cigarettes or a really stiff drink to help escape from
this horrible creature from the darkest pits of hell.
What do you think the targets of this type of intimidation are eventually going to do? Well, I certainly wouldn’t continue to sit there and
I can’t imagine that anyone else would either – given a choice. No,
they will eventually leave the table and search out a more pleasant
atmosphere at a different one. They are going to play at a table where
they won’t be subjected to the demeaning actions that they endured
previously.
The intimidator probably isn’t aware that he just drove away his
profit. The remaining, more experienced players at the table are probably less affected by his attitude. They may even be using it to their
advantage. But, they are usually not the ones that are going to bring
the intimidator profit. His main profit just got up and walked away.
There isn’t any need to tolerate this type of player when there
are other tables and other games to choose from. So, if you’re one
of these types of intimidators, think again about what you are doing,
what you are trying to achieve, and what it costs.
Different. You can also choose to be a different type of intimidator, the kind like Mike. He intimidates in a way that goes mainly
unnoticed. Why? His opponents don’t mind losing to him because he
doesn’t ridicule them when they make mistakes. He just remarks that
he’s played those same types of hands before and sometimes they
will work for him.
He isn’t going to make opponents feel bad, especially the weak
players. Those are the ones he particularly wants involved in his pots.
Those are the ones that are going to bring him profit by their errors.
Not only does he profit along with everyone else, because the weakest opponents make frequent mistakes and play too many hands, he
also profits more than anyone else at the table. The reason is that
these weak players will go out of their way to play more hands specifically against him. Why? It’s because he’s making the game enjoyable
to them. Yes, even losing is now fun.
The game is no longer like a trip to the dentist. And making a
silly play isn’t going to be like having a tooth pulled without the
Novocaine. It isn’t going to garner them a sarcastic, vicious remark.
Instead, they are going to be reassured, made to feel that others have
made the same play, too, but sometimes with better results
Mysterious. Intimidation by puzzlement and perplexity is better
than by obnoxiousness and cruelty. You don’t want weaker players to
feel foolish and stupid. You want them to be comfortable and content
while mysteriously intimidated.
The best way to intimidate is by keeping your opponents unaware
of what is actually happening. When you do the unexpected, you’re
fun to play with, and you don’t ridicule them, they will continue to line
your pockets with the profits from their mistakes.
Sam Mudaro, BA, MBA, is a practicing tax
accountant and financial executive originally
from New York with over 35 years of analytical business expertise. He and his wife Eva
are nine-year Las Vegas residents. Sam uses
simulation software to analyze and develop
strategies for Omaha Hi/Lo and other forms of
poker. Reach Sam at: [email protected].
T
ony, a reader from
Colorado, asked about
how the use of a kill affects
the game. He wondered
whether a kill pot changes
the pot odds, and if altering a kill pot’s minimum
requirements has a material
effect? Should you play differently in a kill or half-kill
game? The major gripe is
that in a $4/8 game when
he scoops a $60 pot, he will
have to kill the next and
post the force blind of $6 or
$8 if it was full kill.
A kill is a forced blind,
and is a third blind that’s
usually equal to the big
blind. The player posting
the kill is referred to as the
killer. The effect of the kill
is to raise the limits for
the next hand. In a full kill
game the new limit is twice
that of the basic table limit,
and a $5-10 game becomes
a $10-20 game for the next
round. With a half-kill the
limits would increase by 50
percent, and a $4-8 game
become $6-12 game. Like
any blind, the kill is a live
bet, and the killer has an
option to check or raise
when it is his turn to act.
Some card rooms require
the killer to act last unless
the pot is raised before the
action reaches the killer. If
it does, he acts in turn, and
is said to have “last action.”
In other casinos the killer
acts when the action reaches
him.
In Texas hold’em winning
two pots in a row generally
triggers a kill. In Omaha/8
scooping the pot of some
predetermined amount —
usually 7.5 to 10 times the
big blind — triggers a kill,
though the kill criteria and
trigger amounts vary from
one cardroom to another.
If the kill requirements
are set too low, most hands
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].
10
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
Sam Mudaro is the...
How does a Kill Pot
the Game? PART 1
will be played at
Affect
the higher limit.
Many players object
to this, saying, “If I wanted
to play at double the limit
I would seek out a higher
limit game.” When limits
are set too high, a kill seldom occurs. Killing the pot
allows occasional forays
into higher limit games, and
lets a $5-10 player to gat a
feel for the action and betting of a $10-20 game.
The amount of money in
the pot when it is the killers turn to act is used to
calculate pot odds, and a kill
game does have an effect
on your bankroll just as
stepping up to higher limits
does.
With kill pots in place,
the number of hands dealt
per hour generally increases
and increases the drop. Most
players dump marginal
hands at the increased limits
and fold more readily on
the turn. At the increased
limits, there is more money
in the pots and thus a better chance of collecting the
maximum rake amount.
Let’s do the math, using
a $4-$8 game with a full
kill and a $60 minimum
pot. You win a $60 pot. But
wait. The rake is counted in
figuring the pot size, even
though you only receive
Day
$56, or maybe only $55 if
a dollar is taken to fund the
jackpot.
You must now post an $8
kill, in addition to the twoand four-dollar blinds. If the
pot is raised in front of you
and you don’t have a hand,
you must fold. So how
much did you win in the
last hand? You invested $30
from the big blind heads-up
with the small-blind and
received $55 for a net profit
of $25. You post $8 and
choose not to call. Now you
are left with $47 or a profit
of $17 from winning the last
hand and killing this one.
That is still a return of 30%.
So what is the complaint?
It’s this: If the kill pot minimum requirement was set
at $80 you could have taken
down this pot, not posted a
kill and would keep a return
of over 83%! Is this correct? You will need to wait
for the next issue for my
answer.
So what have we
learned? Kill games and
their activation requirements may be different
from casino to casino. Each
creates an additional blind
and causes the limits of the
game to increase during the
kill round.
Game
Buy-in
Sun. nite/Mon. am ♦ Spread Lmt Hold’Em ♦ $120
Mon. nite/Tues. am ♦ Spread Lmt Hold’Em ♦ $120
Registration begins 12am. Tournaments begin 1:45am.
Limited seating.
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Series to the Master Classics
Open Poker Championship
at Holland Casino in
Amsterdam.”
As far as the poker room
at the Voodoo is concerned,
there’s definitely room for
expansion. According to
Kaarenperk, “I think, after
a few years, we get more
tables, more people, and
more big events.”
The previously-mentioned
Olympic Hold’em Series
takes place across all three
Baltic States, and it’s just
finishing up. The first week
started Feb. 13 in Estonia
C
ontinuing the
three-part
series on
poker in the Baltic
By
States, it’s Latvia’s
turn. Latvia is the center
state, and like the others,
has a dominant poker force:
Olympic Casino.
“We offer five types of
poker in our poker room,”
says Katre Kaarenperk,
chief marketing officer for
Olympic Entertainment
Group. “Texas Hold’em,
Omaha, Crazy Pineapple, 7card stud, and 5 card stud.”
“Highest limits are 700 Ls
(1050 Euro), but this limits
# ON
MAP
1
LATVIA
CASINO
LOCATION
OPEN HOURS
# OF
TABLES GAMES NL?
(with a €360 main event),
then the following week
in Lithuania (a €300 main
event), and the final week in
Latvia (also €300).
The biggest Latvian poker
player is one who’s relatively new to the game. Juris
Bonders, earned $21,433
in tournament winnings in
2006, the most notable of
which was a win at the €300
HIGH
LIMITS
main event, with a buy-in
of €1,500. Closing out the
championship series is a
€150 pot-limit hold’em
event with unlimited rebuys.
There are numerous special events at the Voodoo.
“This year, Kaarenperk
said “we have four big
series: The Hold’em Series,
Latvian Open Championship,
Summer Festival, and the
Anniversary Tour. Also,
we have a Super Satellite
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TOURNAMENT S/NS HOTEL
BUY-IN
L, N, O, Y
Olympic Voodoo
700 Ls
10-700 Ls
Riga
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C, 7, 5
Casino: Latvia
1 Ls (Latvian Lats) = $1.86
C – Crazy Pineapple; S/NS – Poker room allows smoking (S), non-smoking (NS) or both (B)
Days open, hours of operation, games offered and tables may vary
are only for big series,” she
says. (Note: 1 Ls or Latvian
Lats = $1.86.) Kaarenperk
says that the range of tournament buy-ins is 10 Ls to 700
Ls.
“In Latvia, Olympic
Casino opened its poker
room in the Radisson casino
in April 2003 and had 2
tables,” she says. “In June
2006, the Voodoo casino
opened, and the poker room
moved. In total, the Olympic
poker room has been open 4
years.” Kaarenperk said that
“local tournaments start at
8 p.m., but big tournament
series start earlier, at 6. There
are five tables, and poker at
Voodoo is a very popular
business. We have all types
of people: local clients,
celebrities and more and
more new people.”
The poker room’s old
stomping ground at the
Radisson has not closed itself
off to poker completely – in
fact, some of the biggest
Other Poker
Introducing the NEW
Steve Horton
events in Latvia
are held there,
including the Baltic Open
Championship, set for April
24-28.
This event leads off with
a €150 freezeout (€1 =
$1.28), followed by a €150
pot-limit Omaha event
with unlimited rebuys, and
a €150 pot-limit dealer’s
choice event with unlimited
rebuys. Next is a two-day
double chance freezout – the
When So Many
NS
Y
Pot Limit Omaha event at the
Latvian Open Championship
last March. There’s also
Alexsandrs Artjomenko, who
took second in the 2005 Tony
G Invitational in Lithuania,
to the tune of €9,205.
Please note that it is not
necessary to have Kavorka
or to convert to Latvian
Orthodox to enjoy poker
in Latvia. But it couldn’t
hurt! (The preceding was a
Seinfeld reference.)
Come and enjoy our 100% bonus,
our $100,000.00 Freerolls and
our $0.01 WSOP seats* only at:
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for full details. Enter Promocode “PP100”
when signing up.
The busy Voodoo Poker Room at Reval Hotel in Riga, Latvia.
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
11
DEBBIE BURKHEAD INTERVIEWS...
BE WELL
FRESH YOUNG FACE OF Poker
Pete DeMonte
By Jennifer Matiran
C A R D R O O M M A N A G E R AT T H E S U N C O A S T
It is not a good idea to play poker when
you feel physically ill. A body off balance
is a mind off balance too. It’s hard enough to be patient
when healthy and strong and doubly difficult to do this
when you’re not up to par.
Let me tell you from first hand experience that when
you’re body would rather be resting and trying to restore
itself, playing well is very hard to do. Opponents notice
this and may target you as their prey. Even when they
don’t, you may lose patience because of your discomfort.
The “is poker a sport or a game?” debate is over for
me. It’s definitely a sport because there is a crucial
physical side to playing poker. It’s hard to even check
your hole cards “correctly” when you are not feeling
well. I learned this while playing cards when my body
was taking a physical nose dive. Wish I’d have saved my
money by saying to myself “hey, hey, Jennifer you’re
sick, get outta here.”
I’m sitting here, sick, with muscle cramps all over my
body that are so bad that I had to take this whole week
off of work because my body says so, not to mention my
Doctor. It’s given me a lot of time to THINK!!!
I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Two
months ago the “medical professionals” finally convinced
me to do the RAI (Radio Active Iodine) which treats the
thyroid with a low dose of radiation. When one’s thyroid
becomes under active though “hypo,” one of the side
effects can be…you guessed it, muscle cramps.
John Mayer sang something like this: “Someday I’ll
fly, someday I’ll soar…while I’m figuring it out… (Na, Na,
Na) waiting for my fuse to dry…” Do you get that, his
fuse that needs to be lit to blast off is wet and he’s waiting for it to dry. Lovely lyrics, a wet fuse is bad but that
same fuse will dry and then blast off.
Don’t forget that it’s never over, ever, even when life
gives you a bad beat and tilts you, it is not over, ever.
Just wait for your fuse to dry. It will dry; you just gotta
hold on and give yourself a chance and trust that God
has you in the palm of his hand.
Don’t play horrible starting cards because you’re agitated. Your opponents want you to, so you can dig an
even deeper hole for yourself and give up your money
and your well being. The universe does not revolve
around us and it will be just fine to wait for just the right
moment to play or to put all of our chips into the pot.
There’s this famous painting of a chess game that has
the devil sitting there with his devilish eyes and smirk
that says “Checkmate.” One day, a world champion
chess player looks at it for several hours, going over
every move. He concludes that the game’s not over. The
devil has not won because the king has one more move;
one more out, if you will.
My friends, always remember that if you just trust and
have faith, there is always one more move, that through
faith and believing, not only do you have one more move
but the king that flows through you will make that last
move for you and YOU WILL WIN!
Until we meet again, stay positive even in life’s darkest
hour, be patient, slow down, call a time out and seek the
light because only the light of goodness has the power
to break through anything that holds you captive. And
don’t wait until you can’t take it anymore before you go
to the doctor. Bless you. Be well. Play well…
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 [email protected]. Ms.
Matiran has just completed her latest screenplay, her
other passion (besides Poker!).
12
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
Pete DeMonte was born
in Bridgeport, Connecticut
on July 7, 1954. He graduated from Bullard Havens
High School in 1972 followed that up with a couple
years at Norwalk Technical
College.
In 1977 Pete joined the
local fire department as a
full time fire fighter until his
retirement in June 1998. In
July 1998 he and his wife,
Diane moved to Las Vegas.
That move was something
that they had planned on
doing for years. Pete and
Diane spent their honeymoon in Las Vegas back
in 1982 and from that time
on they vacationed in Las
Vegas about twice a year.
They liked Vegas so much
they vowed to make it their
home when Pete retired.
The first couple of months
after their move to Vegas
were spent relaxing and
enjoying their new surroundings. Pete frequented the
Stardust on his vacation trips
to Vegas and then began
playing poker on a regular
basis after the move.
He became friendly with
some of the dealers at the
Stardust and they told him
he should apply for a dealing position at the Bellagio,
which was scheduled to
open in October 1998. He
explained that he had no
experience dealing but they
told him that would not
be a problem because the
Bellagio had their own training program.
Pete applied for the position at the Bellagio and was
hired as a poker dealer on
graveyard. About a month
later he left the Bellagio and
signed on as an extra board
dealer at the Stardust where
he knew everyone. Not long
after that he was put on full
time and then moved up to
a Relief Shift Boss. In May
of 2004 he was promoted
to Cardroom Manager and
held that position until they
closed the doors of the
Stardust on November 1,
2006.
After the Stardust closed
Pete was transferred to the
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
Sun Coast to manage their
12 table cardroom and a
staff of 40.
The main live action at
the Sun Coast is $2-$4 and
$4-$8 limit hold’em and
$1-$2 no-limit hold’em. The
no-limit game has a minimum buy-in of $100 and
a maximum of $300. Pete
assured me they will spread
anything the players would
like to play.
The poker room is
spacious and has a very
friendly staff. The tables
are equipped with Shuffle
Masters and it’s a nonsmoking room. Live game
players earn $1.25 per hour
in comps for the first four
hours then .50 for each hour
thereafter, up to $9.00 a
day. Comps are redeemable
throughout most restaurants
and the buffet.
The room is conveniently
located to self parking and
valet parking. The room is
next to the movie theater, the
buffet, restrooms and within
steps of the Bagel Express.
The poker room offers 21
progressive high-hand jackpots. A four-of-a-kind jackpot with 13 possible four
of a kinds (deuces through
aces), and eight possible
straight flush jackpots. The
four of a kind jackpot starts
at $50 and the straight flush
jackpots start at $100 with
no cap on either.
Players can also get a
free jacket with 50 hours
of live play from January
1-February 11. Players can
win more than one jacket.
The Sun Coast has daily
tournaments every day of
the week. Sunday through
Saturday at 10 a.m. they are
spreading a $40 buy-in nolimit event with no add-ons
or rebuys. Players receive
$1500 in chips with blinds
starting at $25-$50 and 20
minute rounds. They repeat
the same event at 7 p.m. on
Sunday through Thursday
with the exception of a $60
buy-in and players receive
$2000 in chips. The events
have been drawing between
three and five tables daily.
The Sun Coast and their
sister properties, Sam’s
Town, Gold Coast and the
Orleans, held a freeroll last
year that was very successful. Players needed 75 hours
to qualify and drew more
than 500 players. The event
was held at the Orleans and
will most likely be repeated
again later this year.
Pete expects to have some
new promotions in the near
future and is looking into the
possibility of adding a ladies
event to his daily tournament schedule.
If you’re looking for a
friendly room with a friendly staff drop by the Sun
Coast poker room and ask
for Pete, he’ll be glad to take
care of you.
A Poker Player Murder Mystery by Robert Arabella
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF POKER
None are more hopelessly
enslaved than those who
falsely believe they are free.
—Goethe
[This article is based on
Robert Arabella’s Decline
And Fall Of The Poker
Empire, published in 2026 by
Poker Player.]
In 2006 Time Magazine
called poker, “The most
loved game in America.”
That was the year that The
Joy Of Poker was a bestseller
and Americans overwhelmingly rejected Congressman
Robert Goodlatte’s
“Unlawful Internet Gambling
Act.”
In 2019, The Evils Of
Poker was a bestseller and
Americans overwhelmingly
supported the call by The
Reverend Biggs Brother for
the “Poker Prohibition Act.”
How was it possible for
America’s love affair with
poker to turn so suddenly
sour?
At the very height
of its popularity more
people watched the payfor-view webcast of the
2017 Worldwide Series Of
Online Poker, “$25,000,000
Guaranteed!” than attended
all 2,419 games of the Major
League Baseball season and
they wagered more on the
outcome of the ’17 WSOOP
than on all the preceding
three Superbowls combined.
All of this was made possible
by “Lucky Chucky’s” House
Of Poker.”
“The House,” or so their
website claimed, was founded in 2015 by a self-made
Internet billionaire turned
poker philanthropist, known
only by his screen name,
“Lucky Chucky,” who had
decided to spend his billions
running a not-for-profit justfor-fun online poker room
which would never take so
much as 1¢ out of the pot.
“WE TAKE NO RAKE!”
ran the full page ads, and,
true to his word, play at
“Chucky’s House Of Poker”
was absolutely free. By
2017, The House, run out of
Nigeria, was the world’s biggest online poker room. No
other online card room—not
Celebration Poker, not Poker
Pulsar, not Ultra Bet Poker,
not On Tilt Poker—could
compete.
The 2017 Worldwide
Series Of Online Poker
offered a chance at
“$25,000,000 Guaranteed!”
for an entry fee of only
$1,000. To this day no one
knows just how many poker
players anted up. The day
the WSOOP began “Lucky
Chucky’s” House Of Poker
took its stock (NASDAQ
Ticker Symbol: fdas)
public in the single most successful IPO in market history. On its first day the stock
shot up 300%. The next day
it doubled. The day after it
re-doubled. By the end of
its first week of trading The
House Of Poker was, on
paper, worth far more than
Googlesoft. In the buying
frenzy no one noticed that
the insiders were selling.
Chucky’s House Of Poker,
it turned out, was really a
House Of Cards, like Enron,
nothing more than a Ponzi
Scheme. On the final day
of the WSOOP the website
flashed ERROR 401 and
every 1¢ ever deposited into
The House was gone, along
with “Lucky Chucky.”
In 1630, at the height
of “Tulipmania,” investors
were willing to pay, or in
most instances to borrow,
the equivalent of $76,000
in today’s dollars, to buy a
single tulip bulb. When the
speculative bubble burst,
and the tulip market crashed,
those investors were ruined.
If this sounds like ancient
financial history, consider
that, back in 2017, the previous 90 years of stock market
history had included: The ’29
“Black Monday Crash,” The
’73 “Gas Crash,” The ’89
“Derivatives Crash,” The ’95
“Nikkei” Crash, and The ’00
“Dot.com Crash.”
The Fall Of The House
Of Poker, the caused the ’17
“Card Crash” that wiped out
millions of investors, made
poker, as Time Magazine put
it, “The most hated game in
America.”
[This is a work of poker fiction set ten thousand hands
in the future. Any resemblance to persons living or
dead is coincidental.]
(To be continued in the next
issue of Poker Player)
WIN AN ENTRY INTO THE WORLD SERIES OF POKER
No-Limit Hold ‘Em Tournaments
Tournaments begin at 10 a.m. the following Sundays: April 1st, April 15th,
April 29th, May 13th, May 20th, May 27th
Top two places in each tournament receive a $10,000 paid entry into the
WSOP in Las Vegas
Payouts to the top 20 places
Sign-ups begin the Monday prior to each tournament at noon
($150 buy-in, $20 fee, limited to 180 entries)
Casino Arizona reserves the right to modify or cancel this promotion at any time. See Poker Room for complete details.
WE’VE GOT YOUR GAME
Adjacent to Scottsdale
480-850-7777
casinoaz.com
Owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
Please gamble responsibly.
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
13
The Unsuited Connectors
and the Any Two SuitedLimit Hold’em Leaks
NEVER PLAY Poker with
a man CALLed “DOC”
By Scott Aigner, M.D.
Unsuited connectors are probably the least profitable
hands one can play in limit hold’em. These hands just
don’t win often enough to make them playable. Even if
you flop a pair you don’t have much of a hand if you’re
involved in a pot with lots of players.
Anyone with the same pair is likely to have a better
kicker. In addition, a turn or river card can come that
either slows you down or gives one of the opponents a
better hand. If you folded all your unsuited connectors
you would not be too far off of optimal play. About the
only time they are playable is when defending your big
blind from a late position steal attempt. Even then you
are more likely to miss your hand than hit it.
I rank an unsuited connector about the same as a
garbage hand. Having straight potential is just not a
good enough reason to play these types of hands.
Playing the any two suited cards is the second biggest leak in limit hold’em (playing any Ace is the biggest). If you enter the pot every single time you have
a suited hand, you will see the flop at least once in
every four deals. That’s right.
You will be dealt a suited hand 24.3 percent of the
time. We have all heard the expression “But it was
Suited.” Guess what? You will make a flush about 6
percent of the time when you start with a suited hand.
The other 94 percent of the time you will miss. If that
is not enough disincentive let me add that there is a
fairly high likelihood that another player can also have
the same flush too. It is about the same frequency
as being dealt a suited hand or 24.3 percent of the
time. How ironic is that? So even when you make a
flush, someone else could have a bigger one and in
addition you could also lose to a full house as well.
Approximately 50 percent of all hold’em boards will
have at least one pair showing by the river. That’s why
a suited hand only increases your overall expectation
by a measly 2 or 3 percent when compared to the non
suited counterpart.
Limit hold’em is played with big cards for a reason.
Big cards flop big pairs and also have good kickers.
Whenever you are ahead after the flop you have an
excellent chance to stay ahead through to the river.
A hand like Qh-2h has very little potential except for
the flush draw. What gets players into trouble so often
after the flop is their inability to let go of the marginal
hands like top pair no kicker despite the action being
hot and heavy. If you cannot fold top pair with a weak
kicker when the action dictates, you shouldn’t play
hands like Q-x or K-x suited in the first place.
Do I ever play one of these holdings? Definitely! But
I understand that their value in family pots is due to
their flush possibility and in the off chance that you
will make two pair. I also want position to help in my
decision making as well. I will limp in if there are 4 or
5 players seeing the flop when I’m on or near the button. If the flop is bet and raised before it’s my turn to
act, and all I have is top pair with a marginal kicker, my
hand goes into the muck without a second thought.
I hope you enjoyed the common limit hold’em leaks
series.
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
14
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
15
Betting on the River
SENIORS SCENE
By George “The engineer” EPSTEIN
You called the blind from an early position with A-Q unsuited. The flop came
down:
Your
aces look great. Top pair
and a big kicker! You
bet out and are called
by three opponents. The
turn is the seven of diamonds; it doesn’t help you.
Now there are possible draws to a straight and a diamond flush. Of course you bet again. (Don’t let them
draw for free!) One opponent calls. The river is the
ten of diamonds. You study the board:
The Flop
The Turn
The River
You have two-pair, aces and tens, with the queen
kicker. But there is a possible straight and a possible
flush that your opponent could have, although those
don’t seem too likely. If he has a ten in the hole, he
now has trip tens! He could also have a full house,
four-of-a-kind, or even a straight flush. You don’t
really have a good read on his hand.
You know he is a fairly tight player; he’s been calling all the way, so he must have something. Perhaps
he has a small or medium pocket pair. Like many
hold’em players, he might have called the flop with
ace-rag -- so the flop would have given him a pair
of aces with a poor kicker. Could be that he flopped
second pair, and was concerned about the ace out
there on the board, as well he should.
He could have two pair, tens and eights; but he is a
tight player and would not have called the flop with
a 10-8. It’s not likely that he flopped a set of eights;
certainly he would have raised you on the turn with
that hand. Maybe he made a diamond flush; but
that’s not likely since he called on the flop with only
one diamond on the board. Indeed, it’s more likely he
would have folded on the flop with only one diamond
on the board. You ponder the situation. You ask
yourself: Should I bet or check?
By all means, just check. Here’s why: He probably has you figured for a pair of aces because you
have been betting out every round since the flop.
Consider the most likely hands he might be holding. It is possible that the river gave him trip tens,
making your hand second-best. In that case, he may
raise you if you bet. It will cost you two big bets
– and you’ll lose! In short, it is not likely he would
call your bet on the river unless he has a better hand
than yours; and if he does, he will probably raise you.
Whenever there is just as good a chance that his
hand has yours beaten, you have more to lose than
to gain by betting into your opponent. At best you
will gain one more big bet if he calls and your aces
hold up. At worst, it will cost you two big bets if he
raises and beats you with his trips.
So, readers, what’s YOUR opinion?
If you play poker online I’m
sure you’ve heard other players say that a particular internet poker site is rigged. You
might have read that in one of
the many news forums or even
believed that yourself. I’ve
read many a rant on internet
forums about how a certain
PART 94, It’s
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
Rigged
IMPROVING
PERFORMANCE
By Tom “TIME” Leonard
site is absolutely, positively
with out question rigged. The
premise of the ranter is usually
that some nefarious activity,
directly aimed at him, is taking
place. The proof offered to
support this absolute certainty
is that this poor victim is losing.
I find the “I’m losing so
it must be rigged” mind set
to be very amusing. I know
that I’m not alone because
whenever one of these wacko
narcissists goes off on a rant
another poster will invariably
type in, “Have you played
poker more than once? Your
experience doesn’t sound that
unusual.”
Certain players who overestimate their poker skills and
do not possess the emotional
stability to handle losses go
through a five-level thought
process to conclude that a particular internet poker site must
be rigged.
Step one begins with a losing streak or possibly just a
few well timed bad beats.
Step two starts out with that
player opening up his game
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].
16
just a tad. Then the tad begins
to take on a life of its own and
from a mere tad he finds himself loosening up considerably
by playing too many hands in
a desperate attempt to recoup
losses.
Step three for this unfortunate fool is his opinion that
he is the only one at the table
who does not breathe through
gills. This utter arrogance
should really be replaced with
thinking about why you may
be losing instead of just thinking the fish are sucking out.
The fourth step in his slide
down that slippery slope is
concluding that the only possible way his fishy opponents
could possibly be beating him
is because the site is rigged.
He feels that certain opponents
are the benefactors of non-random shuffling or that an actual
site cohort is being fed miracle
cards to steal his money.
The fifth and final step in
this journey of self-delusion
combines the first four steps
and becomes a self fulfilling
prophecy of total bankroll
annihilation. It is fueled by
anger and often a conspiracy
theory mind set that this particular poker website has a
mission to separate him from
his money.
Man………get a grip!
While there could be collusion
occurring by other players in
your game, the site itself is
not out to get an individual
by causing bad beats. Why
would they kill their golden
goose? If you become uncomfortable in a game, regardless
of whether it’s on the internet
or in a brick-and-mortar card
room, you should leave, especially if you know you have
the potential to become “tilty.”
Of course, if that is the case
you should work on your emotional control, because, here’s
a news flash: becoming “tilty”
is not a good thing!
Our goal for this time
together is to focus your energy into improving your skills
and your poise instead of constructing conspiracy theories
about how certain poker sites
are rigged. When you arrive
at step five and find yourself
playing in full, wide open tilt
mode without any controls
whatsoever, please find a seat
in my game. I’m willing to
sit through some outlandish
rants in the chat window while
I take your whole stack. 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].
S
C
NT
CIR
UI
T
EVE
WORLD SERIES OF POKER CIRCUIT EVENT
MARCH 25 – APRIL 6
Bring your game to the Midwest’s Premier Poker Room. If you’re the winner here,
you’re off to the World Series of Poker Main Event this summer in Las Vegas.
Date Event # Tournament
3/25/07
3/26/07
1
3/27/07
2
3/28/07
3
3/29/07
4
3/30/07
5
3/31/07
4/1/07
6
7
8
4/2/07
9
4/3/07
4/4/07
4/5/07
4/6/07
10
Satellites Begin
No-Limit Hold ‘Em @ Noon
Daily Cash Tournament No-Limit Hold ‘Em @ 3 p.m.
Pot Limit Omaha @ 3 p.m. with Re-Buys
Ladies Only No-Limit Hold ‘Em @ Noon
HORSE
Satellite Day
Mega Satellite @ 12 p.m. & 6 p.m.
Circuit Championship Event
Championship Event Day 2
Championship Event Final Table
Mega Satellites 3/25-3/30 @ 6 p.m.
Mega Satellites 3/31-4/3 @ 6 p.m.
Buy-In
$300 + $40
$175 + $25
$500 + $50
$175 + $25
$300 + $40
$175 + $25
$500 + $50
$175 + $25
$1,000 + $60
$300 + $40
$500 + $50
$500 + $50
$200 + $25
$300 + $40
$1,000 + $60
$175 + $25
$500 + $50
$5,000 + $150
$300 + $40
$300 + $40
$300 + $30
$500 + $50
For every $5,150 generated in the prize pool for each Mega Satellite,
we will award a seat into the Championship Event, which begins April 4, 2007.
For directions and more information, visit us at caesarsindiana.com.
You can also visit the Poker Room or call the Poker Hotline at 1-800-660-9744.
Must be 21 years or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start®. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-9-WITH-IT. ©2007 Harrah’s License Company, LLC.
Rincon WSOP Circuit Event
New Orleans main event, last
May.
First place paid $280,859.
Mr. Feldman also received
a one-of-a-kind gold and
diamond ring, presented
to each and every WSOP
Circuit champion. Finally,
Mr. Feldman was awarded a
$10,000 buy-in seat into the
main event of the 2007 World
Series of Poker, to be held in
July at the Rio Las Vegas.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Tammy Brown . . . . . . $4,242
Carolyn Stoll . . . . . . . $2,495
Jane Haupt . . . . . . . . . $1,996
Kristi Blakey . . . . . . . $1,497
Michele Kish . . . . . . . $1,248
Denise Molloy . . . . . . . .$998
Rose Stein . . . . . . . . . . . .$749
Alice Hang . . . . . . . . . . .$499
EVENT #9
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $1,500 + $70
PLAYERS 180
WSOP CIRCUIT EVENT
$116,400
PLAYERS 181
PRIZE
POOL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
$877,850
Peter Feldman . . . . $280,859
David Matthew . . . $147,364
Gavin Griffin . . . . . . $86,685
Danny Wong . . . . . . $69,348
Erik Cajelais . . . . . . $52,011
Shane Schleger. . . . . $43,343
Gavin Smith . . . . . . . $34,674
Yoon Kim . . . . . . . . . $26,005
Jerry Renfroe. . . . . . $17,337
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
PRIZE POOL
$24,953
Linda Schmidt
1. Linda Schmidt . . . . . . $8,085
Jason Stern. . . . . . . . $41,904
Richard Salzman . . . $23,280
Derek Harrington . . $12,804
Brandon Fishman . . . $9,312
John Farrell . . . . . . . . $8,148
Gregory Mihaly . . . . . $6,984
Gregory Stein. . . . . . . $5,820
Bryon Killilea. . . . . . . $4,656
Paul Nichols . . . . . . . . $3,492
HARRAH’S RINCON
EVENT #8
2/18/07
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $1,000 + $60
PRIZE POOL
$97,970
Jimmy Duh
1. Jimmy Duh. . . . . . . . $31,350
2. Tony Abesamis . . . . . $17,243
3. Chris Farmer . . . . . . . $8,817
7. Michael Pancer . . . . . $3,919
8. Russ Tarpey . . . . . . . . $2,939
9. David Naimark . . . . . $1,959
HARRAH’S RINCON
WSOP CIRCUIT EVENT
EVENT #6
2/16/07
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $300 + $40
PLAYERS 313
PRIZE POOL
$91,083
Tony Lee
PLAYERS 146
2/20/07
BUY-IN $200 + $30
PLAYERS 147
BUY-IN $500 + $50
PLAYERS 202
6. Beau Towers . . . . . . . . $4,899
WSOP CIRCUIT EVENT
WSOP CIRCUIT EVENT
LADIES ONLY
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
5. Alex Ray . . . . . . . . . . . $5,878
Jason Stern
HARRAH’S RINCON
EVENT #10
2/17/07
4. Yarom Limor . . . . . . . $6,858
2/22/07
BUY-IN $5,000 + $150
EVENT #7
2/19/07
PRIZE POOL
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
CHAMPIONSHIP
HARRAH’S RINCON
WSOP CIRCUIT EVENT
HARRAH’S RINCON
WSOP CIRCUIT EVENT
HARRAH’S RINCON
EVENT #11
PRIZE
POOL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
$141,620
Osman Kibar . . . . . . $45,885
Steve Elesky . . . . . . . $24,075
Mark Fowler . . . . . . $14,162
Tom Maser . . . . . . . . . . . .$11
Mike Perez . . . . . . . . . $8,497
Keith Wintermans . . . $7,081
Bruce Moller . . . . . . . $5,665
John Zou . . . . . . . . . . $4,249
Don Eiges . . . . . . . . . . $2,832
1. Tony Lee . . . . . . . . . . $28,236
2. James Rouse. . . . . . . $14,573
3. Conrad Monica . . . . . $7,287
4. Rick Olmedo . . . . . . . $6,376
5. T.J. Stubbs . . . . . . . . . $5,464
6. James Bates . . . . . . . . $4,554
7. Tony Swancy . . . . . . . $3,643
8. Roberta DeLeon . . . . $2,732
9. Chris Stewart . . . . . . . $1,822
Binion’s Hosts Poker Event
at Vegas Grand Prix
The world of poker took
the fast lane on Feb. 22
when the Poker Event
at Vegas Grand Prix
kicked off a 45-day run at
Binion’s Gambling Hall
& Hotel in downtown Las
Vegas.
Satellite winners qualify
for the Everyman Main
Event to be held during
race week, Monday, April
2, through Friday, April
6, in Benny’s Bullpen, the
original home of the World
Series of Poker.
A Celebrity Poker Event
Saturday is slated for April
7 in Benny’s Bullpen, to
benefit Vegas Grand Prix
charities via the Jenyon
Foundation, Inc. The
celebrity poker tournament offers players the
opportunity to play with
18
celebrities and professional poker players such
as Patrik Antonius, Robert
Williamson III, Marcel
Luske and Hoyt Corkins.
The $10,000 buy-in will
fund a tournament prize
pool and Vegas Grand Prix
charities. It will be broadcast live at www.pokernetcast.com
During the final week,
the tournament can accommodate up to 1,000 players
daily, making it among the
largest fields ever in downtown Las Vegas.
The Vegas Grand Prix
is a three-day festival of
speed and entertainment
being held April 6-8, 2007
that will encircle the heart
of downtown Las Vegas.
The weekend will feature
rock concerts, a celebrity
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
poker tournament, Easter
services, an impressive
Easter egg hunt and culminate in the internationally televised 2007 series
opener for the Champ Car
World Series.
The racing portion of the
weekend will also present
a Historic Grand Prix with
legendary open-wheel racers participating as well
as the season opener for
Champ Car series. The
temporary street circuit is
a 2.44-mile, 12-turn course
through the heart of Glitter
Gulch. Champ Cars generate nearly 750 horsepower
and can reach speeds up to
180 miles per hour on the
Vegas street course. It is
expected to be one of the
largest events in the history
of downtown Las Vegas.
Can Online Poker
Be Saved?
The paper of record was
even-handed, but not Mr.
D’Amato’s best friend, in its
article. He will undoubtedly
receive a puffier welcome
from the poker publication
that has been promised an
exclusive interview with
him.
Undeterred by the PPA’s
continuing coyness and the
exclusive interview that has
reportedly been granted to
a poker journalist who is a
member of the PPA Board,
I called PPA President
Michael Bolcerek last week
in an effort to update the
poker community that the
PPA seeks as members of
its organization. What might
be the organization’s battle
plans to free online poker
from the potential shackles
of the Unlawful Internet
Gambling Act of 2006?
UIGEA attempts to end
online betting by Americanbased players. Mr. Bolcerek
was inexplicably tight-lipped
about the PPA’s anticipated
savior and mum as to its
next major step.
Before hopping on an
airplane for the Capitol, I
decided to take my leave
from the PPA president’s
politely played game of
dodge ball. In search of
answers, I decided, while
in Washington for business
matters and a variety of
political events on both sides
of the aisle, that I would also
probe the poker industry’s
odds of getting relief from
the perils of UIGEA.
During the course of my
visit, I donned many differ-
ent hats—as business executive, politico, chairman of
the government affairs committee of the World Poker
Association, part time poker
journalist, and moonlighting
poker pro. I saw opportunities to press the flesh as
obligations to dig for information on the state of poker,
while looking forward to Mr.
Bolcerek and his PPA group
getting their ducks in a row.
In total, I had more than a
dozen meetings with elected
officials and political operatives while I was there, but
none was more instructive
than the conversation with
Congresswoman Shelley
Berkley. She welcomed my
queries, completely unfazed
by my switching hats from
one moment to the next. She
never grumbled over the fact
that I am not a Nevadan.
She did point out however,
that members of Congress
have an overriding duty to
pay attention to the voices
of constituents. She also
stunned me with a simple
fact of life in politics: the
strength of an association’s
voice rests with the number
of members that are registered to vote.
In my half hour meeting with the senior member
of Nevada’s congressional
delegation in the House of
Representatives, Shelley
Berkley proved to be one
smart cookie. She has a
thoughtful, no-nonsense
approach as she considers the issues of her less
than synchronized flock of
Salt River’s Casino Arizona
Announces Promotions
Casino Arizona, an enterprise of the Salt River
Pima-Maricopa Indian
Community (SRPMIC),
announced the appointments
of Kent Odekirk to Poker
Director, David Vandiver as
Director of Slot Operations,
and Dan Louis to Blackjack
Director.
As Poker Director,
Odekirk manages Arizona’s
largest poker room. He
brings nearly 15 years of
gaming experience with a
focus in card room operations, management and start-
up to his new position
“Casino Arizona is
pleased to announce the
addition of three new directors offering a remarkable
70 years of solid gaming
experience, to run three of
our busiest departments,”
said Jon Jenkins, CEO for
Casino Arizona. “Each of
the new directors shares our
values to offer superior customer service and ensure an
optimal gaming environment
for our guests, and we are
proud to have them at the
helm of our casino.”
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 25-29, 2007
All public poker rooms,
worldwide, are invited to
send their EMPLOYEES
to the Second annual
World Poker Dealer
championships. This year
there are 4 events, all
are NO LIMIT HOLD ‘EM.
Players may NOT enter
directly, but, must be
the REPRESENTATIVES
of their card room, AND,
be employed there for
at least 3 months prior.
Winners will be required
to show proof of employment.
Participants may be
selected directly by the
card room, or through a
satellite event (preferable). Employees who
would like to play are
encouraged to bring
this event to the attention of their card room
SCHEDULE
Monday – September 24 – Evening
Registration, Orientation, Social Gathering –
Hors d’oeuvres, drinks
Tuesday – September 25 – Noon
Ladies Only event
(any female that works in a card room).
$500 buy-in - $50 entry fee
Wednesday – September 26 – 9:00 AM –
Finals of Ladies event (if needed)
Dealer’s Event – Noon
$1,000 buy-in - $100 entry fee
Thursday – September 27 – 9:00 AM –
Finals of Dealer’s event (if needed)
Supervisor’s Event – Noon
Friday – September 28 – 9:00 AM –
Finals of Supervisor’s event (if needed)
Owner’s and Manager’s Event – Noon
Saturday – September 29 – 10:00 AM –
Finals of Owner/Manager event
Champagne Celebration/Luncheon Banquet –
Awards – 2 PM
manager. All Card rooms
are requested to inform
Binion’s, at the earliest
possible date, of their
participation.
Cardrooms may send
a maximum number of
players to each event
based upon the size of
their regular card room:
1-9 tables
10-19 tables
20-29 tables
30-39 tables
40 or more
tables
1 player
2 players
3 players
4 players
5 players
Owner’s and manager’s
event includes shift
managers and above.
Supervisor’s event
includes all positions
between dealer and shift
manager, plus marketing, security and cashier
employees. Contestants
may only play in ONE
event.
Additional registration will take place at 10 AM – each event starting date.
For further details contact Gary DeWitt, Binions Poker Manager – [email protected] (702) 366-7525
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
19
A State Of Mind
POWER POKER
By DOYLE BRUNSON
I’ve always been a believer in attitude. If
a man thinks he’ll win at poker, then he’s
more likely to prevail. Confidence won’t
make you any luckier, but it can make you
play better. Assuming you have enough skill to win, confidence will keep you from turning against yourself and
letting self-doubt and panic prompt you to make poor
decisions.
I guess my ultimate recollection in this regard happened years ago when a young man came to Las Vegas
and conquered the seven-card stud games. His name was
Keith. And I’m here to tell you, Keith just couldn’t lose. He
destroyed those games. You knew from the moment he
strode into the poker room that he expected to win. He
acted as if it was his destiny to win.
I befriended Keith briefly. Beyond just being confident,
he had a keen interest in learning the best tactics and
would ask me for advice. He confided that he always
psyched himself up before games. In fact, he told me that
he used mental tricks to get himself into the “perfect winning mood.”
A trance. Once I found him in the men’s room minutes
before the first deal, gazing into the mirror and saying, “I
will win!” He repeated it over and over. Then he concluded
solemnly, “Keith, you cannot lose.” And he left for the
game in what appeared to me to be almost a trance of
invincibility.
And, of course, he won.
He even convinced me to try a few of his experiments
in self-confidence, such as imagining myself with all the
chips piled in front of me. It seemed to work. As I’ve said,
a player with confidence has a long-term advantage over
one without it. There’s nothing supernatural about that,
either. It’s simply that confidence is a psychological force
that keeps you on target and unnerves your opponents.
Then Keith’s behavior tilted toward bizarre. He once rose
from his seat across from me in a restaurant and shouted,
“Win! Win! Win!” After that, I never socialized with him. His
mind was clearly cracking. Everyone could tell.
Play even better. Then he decided that he’d play even
better if he could convince himself he was losing a little
in the beginning of a session. That way, he figured, he’d
have to be even more dedicated to win his way back to
even. Even that mental trick seemed to work for him -- for
a while.
Then, one day, he tried his biggest psychological gambit ever. He spent hours making himself believe that he
was an enormous $100,000 behind in a $300-limit game.
Clearly he had bought into his own fantasy, because when
he won the first pot and was ahead $2,000, in his mind he
was still $98,000 loser and he still appeared desperate.
That’s when he crumbled like sod squeezed through your
fingers during a drought. In less than two days, he unloaded his bankroll. All gone.
I suppose playing mind games can be helpful or harmful, depending on how you use them. Personally, I stick to
the simple stuff and leave elaborate mental experiments
to more the more adventurous – like Keith. Poker players
should have faith in their own abilities. That helps. And
that’s as far as I take it.
Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson stands unchallenged as the
most celebrated poker player who ever lived. In 2005,
at age 72, he won an unprecedented 10th championship
gold bracelet at the World Series of Poker. He is among
the few living members of the Poker Hall of Fame, and
his books are the bibles for poker professionals. Through
www.poker1.com and www.doylesroom.com, Brunson has
teamed with Mike Caro, today’s premiere poker educator,
to offer a free learning experience to players worldwide.
This column is founded on those collaborative teachings.
20
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
Ryanair wants to install
games like video poker on
its planes. It believes gambling can bring in so much
money that it will eventually
be able to let everyone fly
for free.
cruiseships in the world,
sailing between the ports of
Hawaii.
Congress reacted by passing the United States-Flag
Cruise Ship Competitiveness
Act of 1991. American
Casinos On Cruse Ships,
Why Not On Airplanes?
POKer AND
THE LAW
By I. NELSON ROSE
Ryanair is already operating its own lottery system,
with scratchers. Tickets are
sold once the planes enter
international waters though
only to “residents of countries on Ryanair routes.”
Very few passengers bought
tickets on the flights I took
in Europe. Still, the profits
can be tremendous. We
don’t know how much it
keeps. Its literature merely
states, “A contribution will
be made to children’s charities.”
In the 1980s, Singapore
Airlines was the first to
install slot machines, only
two feet tall with plastic
cases to save weight, at the
back of a plane. In the late
1990s, Swissair introduced
on-board video gambling,
followed by Lauda Air.
Singapore tried again.
Harrah’s entered into a joint
venture with Sky Games.
But on September 2, 1998
Swissair flight 111 crashed
off Peggys Cove, Nova
Scotia. There is a moving memorial on the rockstrewn coast for the 229
people who died in sight
of the land. It is generally
accepted that the MD-11
was brought down by a
fire caused by the onboard
entertainment and gambling
system.
Swissair had been operating under an exemption to
an American law prohibiting
gambling on planes flying
into or out of the U.S.
The ban on gambling
began with cruise ships.
Federal laws in the 1950s
made it a crime for U.S.
flagships to even carry slot
machines.
But ships sailing under
the flags of foreign nations
were exempt, and would
open their casinos as soon
as they reached international
waters. By 1990 there were
only three U.S. flagged
and foreign
operators
now operate under the same
rules, with gambling usually
allowed once the ship leaves
U.S. territorial waters.
But when Northwest
Airlines lobbied Congress
to permit gambling on international flights, to compete
against foreign carriers,
the reaction was exactly
the opposite. Without
discussion or debate,
Congress passed the Gorton
Amendment, prohibiting
the installation of gambling
devices on all flights into or
out of the U.S.
The playing field had
been leveled. All planes
were stripped of gambling
devices, even if there was
only a slim chance they
might enter U.S. airspace.
Nations normally have
the power to regulate their
own flagships, once they
are in or over international
waters.
But countries also have
the right to protect their bor-
ders. The U.S. can demand
that there be no gambling on
ships or aircraft within its
territory.
The Gorton Amendment
probably violates civil aviation treaties signed by the
U.S., as well as generally
recognized international law.
Its strongest argument is
that foreign airlines are only
bound by this American law
if they choose to fly to the
U.S. Ryanair can have gambling because it never enters
U.S. airspace.
But the U.S. has, by treaties, agreed to allow aircraft
from other nations which
meet certain safety requirements to land and take off.
There is no mention of gambling. Congress probably
does not have the power to
amend these treaties without the consent of the other
countries.
More importantly, what
would happen if other countries also tried to impose
their moral views on the rest
of the world? Actually, we
already know. The U.S. is
opposed to poker, lotteries,
sports betting and casino
games on the Internet. The
result is that Internet gambling has become a very
big business, but not for
American operators.
Professor I Nelson Rose is recognized as one of the world’s
leading experts on gambling
law. His latest books, Gaming
Law: Cases and Materials
and Internet Gaming Law, are
available through his website,
www.gamblingandthelaw.com.
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24
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
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
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M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
25
More Online Hands
ONLINE POKER
Paul “Dr. Pauly” McGuire
Here are a few hands that I played
online at PokerStars or Full Tilt in the
past week.
8h-8d; PL Hold’em Multi Table Tournament
(MTT): I made the final table of a tournament hosted
by PokerStars’ Wil Wheaton. I thought it was a Pot
Limit Omaha (PLO) event, but I inadvertently signed
up for a Pot-Limit Hold’em event instead. I gutted it
out and made the final table along with Wil. With four
players left, I was second in chips with less than 4K
separating first from fourth place. Blinds were $300$600 and I found 8d-8d in the small blind. Jeciimd
raised on the button to $1,800. I re-raised to $6,000.
Carneggy in the big blind moved all in for $11,575.
Jeciimd folded and I went into the tank. It was only
$5,575 more to call with $19,000 in the pot. I was
ahead against any baby pair and big, unpaired cards
too, but I was totally screwed if he had a pair of 9s or
higher. Carneggy flipped over Ah-Qd and the board
bricked out for him as my 8-8 won a race. I took over
the chiplead with three players left.
Qs-10d; PL Hold’em MTT: Same tournament:
I was heads up against hacker59, who had me
outchipped 38K to 14K. Blinds were $400-$800
and I found Qs-10d in the big blind. Hacker59 raised
to $2,400 and I called. The flop was Ad-10h-2d. I
flopped second pair and check-called a $3,200 bet.
The turn was Qh. With two flush draws on the board
I wanted to check-raise my two pair. That didn’t happen because hacker69 checked behind me. The river
was a Jd which filled in a flush and gave the board
a possible straight. I checked the river along with
hacker59. He turned over Kc-8c for a Broadway
Straight. I typed in the chat, “I played that poorly.” I
should have jammed on the turn instead of trying for
a fancy-play check-raise. Hacker59 most likely would
have folded and the stacks would have been about
30K to 20K. I was crippled after that bad decision
and busted out in second place a couple of hands
later.
Ks-Kc; $2-$4 NL Hold’em: My brother had been
crushing the $2-$4 NL tables on Full Tilt and told me
to check out the fishy action. I sat down at the same
table as my friend Otis. I posted a blind at the cutoff
and found Ks-Kc for my first hand. A player in middle
position with a $195 stack raised to $16. I reraised to
$40. Everyone else folded and he called. The flop was
Qs-4s-3s. He checked and I bet $86 — roughly the
size of the pot. He check-raised me all in. I put him on
a set of Queens or the Ace of spades. I had him covered and since it was only $70 more for me to call…
I did. He showed Qh-Qd for the set. The turn was a
Jack of spades, giving me a flush. The board did not
pair on the river and I scooped a pot close to $400. I
left three hands later after a quick hit-and-run.
2h-2c; $5-$10 Limit Hold’em: I had 2h-2c in a
four way pot that was capped preflop. I flopped a set
on a board of 5d-4s-2s. Small blind bet out, Player A
called, and I raised. The button folded and the small
blind three-bet. Player A called and I capped it with a
raise. The turn was 4d. The small blind bet and Player
A called. I raised and both players called. The river
was Qs and both players checked-called my bet. My
full house won as the small blind showed Js-Jc and
Player A had 3d-3h. I won a $212 pot with pocket
deuces. Quack, quack!
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].
26
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
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 film star and poker pro james Woods. Crossword by Myles Mellor.
Word
25. Check for one right
after the deal
ACROSS
1. Ace high straight
DOWN
1. Last finishing position
before entering the payout
structure
5. Type of sandwich
27. TV network
7. Horse command
28. See 14 across
9. ______ patch: game with
a lot of unskilled players
31. Near, for short
11. Appearance
32. A bad ___ : when an
initially stronger hand loses
12. ____ Watkinson
2. Boat mover
34. Minneapolis Jim
14. Celebrity poker player
and “Shark” star (goes with
28 across)
37. ____ Vahedi
15. The NY Manning
17. Inside, prefix
4. Top performers (2 words)
38. Sound system, for short
5. Full tilt player, Erik
39. __ and behold!
6. One-armed ____
7. Estimate
40. __ No (James Bond
movie)
18. Musical scale note
8. It is, in Spanish
19. Half the pot
41. 2005 WSOP final table
player who was heads up
with Joe Hachem (2 words)
21. Amarillo ____
24. Beast of burden
1
2
3
4
5
7
9
10
3. A side pot with no
money created when a player goes all in and is called
by more than one opponent,
but not raised (goes with 20
down)
6
8
10. Running back, for short
13. Naval rank
14. Open the maximum
amount allowed
16. “The One” star Jet
11
18. Rig a game
20. See 3 down
12
13
14
17
15
18
21
23
19
22. Opposite of tight
20
23. Winners
22
26. Always
24
27
25
28
29
35
38
36
26
28. High stakes player
30
31
34
16
29. Board or target?
32
33
37
39
32. The “____” casino
40
33. Before the river
41
35. Swallow
The correct solution to the puzzle will be found
only at: www.pokerplayernewspaper.com.
It will be posted on the cover date.
POKER
ON
TV
30. Pulled from the deck
Heartland Poker Tour. (Check
local listings for times/stations).
High Stakes Poker. Mondays 8, 9
& 10 PM, Tuesdays & Wednesdays 2 AM,
Thursdays 9 PM EST. GSN.
Learn from the Poker Pros.
Mondays 6:30 PM & 10 PM, Wednesdays 6
PM & 10 PM, Thursdays 12:30 AM EST. Fox
Sports.
MansionPoker.net Poker
Dome Challenge. (Check local listings for channels). Mondays 12 AM,. 1 AM
& 2, Tuesdays 1:30 AM, Wednesdays 3 PM
& Sundays 11 PM EST. FSN.
36. Can be a tell (head
motion)
40. Prosecutor
Poker After Dark. Tuesdays
through Saturdays 2:05 AM, Sundays 2
AM EST. NBC.
Poker Superstars Invitational.
Mondays 6 AM, 4 PM & 8 PM, Saturdays
11 PM EST. Fox Sports.
UPC Cash Poker. Mondays 12:30
AM, Saturdays 11 PM EST. (Check local listings for channels).
U.S.P.C. Sundays 1 AM EST. ESPNC.
World Poker Tour. Wednesdays 9
PM & Saturdays 12 PM EST. Travel
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
..... Hold’em L ................ Limit
A, P ....... AM, PM
.No Limit Hold’em
Wk .............Week
..........Stud
MONDAY
DIEGO & CALIFORNIACALIFORNIA—NORTH CALIFORNIA—SAN
LOS ANGELES
INLAND EMPIRE
TIME
DAILY TOURNAMENTS (CONT’D FROM PAGE 25)
B ......... Bounties
T ............... Turbo
.7-Card Stud
..... Omaha Pi........Pineapple Pn......Panginque DCDealer’s Choice Sp ........... Spread
.5-Card Stud H/LHigh/Low Split Po........Pot Limit Mx .Mexican Poker HH ...Headhunter Al ......Alternates
|
TUESDAY
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
|
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
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Crystal Casino
Hustler Casino
Normandie Casino
Casino Morongo
Casino Pauma
Harrah’s Rincon
Lake Elsinore
Lucky Lady
Oceans Eleven
Sycuan
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Village Club
Artichoke Joe’s
Cache Creek
California Grand
Casino San Pablo
Club One Casino, Fresno
Colusa Casino
Del Rio Casino, Isleton
Feather Falls Cas., Oroville
Garden City
Gold Country Cas.-Oroville
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Restructuring
POKER IN EUROPE
By JONATHAN RAAB
The Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT)
recently held its second event, another
£1,000 ($1,970) No Limit Hold’em Freezeout, this time in the
Midlands town of Walsall. It was won by Jerome Bradpiece,
a 23-year old pro from London who scooped £121,600 and a
seat in the Grand Final for his efforts.
Unlike the first leg in Bolton, this was a four-day event,
featuring two starting days and 360 runners. In response to
the demand from players to take their seats in this kind of
event, all the remaining legs of the tour
have been increased
to four-day affairs.
We are even having
discussions about
the possibility of the
London leg and the
Grand Final (also in
London) becoming
six-day tournaments
with three starting
days and up to 600
GUKPTLeg2WinnerJeromeBradpiece
runners.
There is little doubt that the TV cameras, the added
prize money, and the hospitality laid on by the casinos has
contributed to the tour’s great atmosphere, but behind the
gloss, there have been a few teething problems with regard
to the running of the tournaments at both of the first two
legs.
At the first leg there was a software issue that delayed
the start of the second day by almost an hour. At the recent
leg in Walsall there were some complaints about the structure late on during the second day.
These amounted to a number of the players believing that
the structure was too fast and that for them, the tournament had descended into a crapshoot. Not all agreed, but
when it came to a point where the average stack had less
than six laps of the table, the tournament director froze
the running antes (but not the blinds) for three levels and
things soon got back on track. It is never a good idea to tinker with the structure during a tournament and the decision
to do so was not taken lightly, but we are a new tour and we
are not afraid to admit if we get something wrong.
In fact, after the event, many renowned UK players commented that there was nothing too fast about the structure
at all; it was just that some players were not able to adapt
their game to it. In the UK, the vast majority of tournaments
do not feature running antes, but the GUKPT does. The
majority of British players are therefore not used to playing
with antes and many of the rockier players did not adjust
their game adequately to compensate.
As the person responsible for the tournament structure
I have taken a further look at it and will be making a few
minor tweaks to the running antes ahead of Leg 3 in Cardiff,
but without making any significant changes to the overall
structure. What most people are saying about the tour is
that it is just what the UK poker scene was crying out for
– a series of slow structured, large runner events with a significant prize pool and a lot of keen media interest.
Within a couple of legs we expect many Scandinavians,
French and other European players to join the tour and by
the end of the year, when we have our £3,000 ($5,910)
buy-in Grand Final with a prize pool of approaching £2m
($3.94m), we hope some North Americans who fancy a winter break in London might also pop-in.
Jonathan Raab is a poker consultant and tournament reporter. He works for online poker site Blue
Square as their representative at live poker events in
the UK and Europe and is the Tour Manager for the
GUKPT. Email: [email protected]
28
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
$200,000
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Saturday, April 28, 9 am
Over $200,000 Cash Guaranteed
First Prize $60,000
Pays up to 100 places
$320 Buy-in/Service Fee, No Rebuys
Field Limit 630 Players
Registration begins March 12 at:
Chumash Casino Box Office ChumashCasino.com
800 585 3737
3400 East Highway 246, Santa Ynez, CA
A
PLACE
PRIZE
PLACE
PRIZE
1
$500,000
11th - 20th
$1,750
2
$250,000
21st - 30th
$1,500
3
$100,000
31st - 40th
$1,250
4
$60,000
41st - 50th
$1,000
5
$35,000
51st - 60th
$750
6
$25,000
61st - 70th
$500
7
$20,000
71st - 80th
$250
8
$15,000
9
$10,000
10
$5,000
Limit Hold’em
..... Hold’em L ................ Limit
A, P ....... AM, PM
.No Limit Hold’em
Wk .............Week
..........Stud
T ............... Turbo
.7-Card Stud
MONDAY
TIME
CALIFORNIA—NORTH
|
TUESDAY
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
|
FRIDAY
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
| SATURDAY |
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
SUNDAY
GAMES BUY-IN
Gold Rush
Golden West-Bakersfield
Kelly’s Cardroom
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Lucky Chances
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Oaks Card Club-Emeryville
San Pablo Lytton Casino
Sonoma Joe’s
Apache Gold
Blue Water Casino
Bucky’s Casino
AZ
Casino Del Sol
Cliff Castle
Fort McDowell
SOUTHWEST
Gila River/Wild Horse Pass
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CO
Gila River-Vee Quiva
Harrah’s Ak Chin
Hon-Dah Casino
Paradise Casino
Gilpin Hotel & Casino
Midnight Rose-Cripple Crk
Ute Mountain
KS
Harrah’s Prarie Band
NM
Cities of Gold
Isleta Casino & Resort
Route 66 Casino
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Thunderbird Casino, Norman
$
$
$
$
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 1
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
29
Values and Poker
POwer POKER PSYCHOLOGY
By JAMES A. M C KENNA, P H D.
We have been taught that there are seven
cardinal virtues to living a good life. Yet when
applied to poker, these actions might seem more like vices than
virtues. Let’s take a closer look at what a lot of poker players
value.
1—“Poker is more a game of skill in the long run. Luck
serves the short run. Yet skill or luck without each other
is at best a break-even outcome.” Is this more vice or more
virtue? Belief in the right things teaches us faith. When, as poker
players, we believe in the right things, it usually means that faith
in the cards we play and the skills we deploy. This amounts to
having faith in ourselves to do the right things and faith in others
to do the wrong things. That’s poker.
2—“Play ‘em like you’ve got ‘em; but, know when to bet,
raise, or fold ‘em.” We have been taught that it’s wrong to tell
a lie. Yet, it’s a virtue in poker to mislead opponents. The virtue
of hope comes from taking a positive view that good will prevail.
Poker players are forever hopeful that the hand they choose to
play will improve enough to win. Some have more hope than others—or, is that stupidity? Go figure.
3—“Unless bluffing, it’s usually a mistake to tell the truth.
Do whatever it takes to mislead—check/raise, trap, even
slow play.” That brings us to the virtue of charity. As for being
charitable, you may see a little mercy shown when a person gets
trapped—but, then again, very little. Poker is not the most charitable of endeavors. Instead of concern and actively helping other
players, we are more likely to mislead and trap them.
Yet, survival for any length of time as a poker player requires
the four other cardinal attributes--namely, fortitude, justice,
prudence, and finally temperance.
4—“There’s no sin in folding. Pay attention to pot-odds
before, calling, betting, or raising.” Fortitude is never giving
up. Does this mean players with fortitude never give up hands
and have the fortitude not to give up when the going gets rough?
Or does it rather mean that good players have the power to quit
and the wisdom to know when persistence is worthwhile? Who
knows? Winners do.
5—“Bad beats happen when players stay longer than
they are supposed to.” Justice is the virtue of being fair and
equitable with others. In poker, players usually get what they
deserve when they play any cards regardless of slim odds. Being
deceitful and misleading will win more pots than being fair and
equitable to others—or so it seems. However, there’s little justice
in “suck-outs.”
6—“Essential tools to surviving include managing cards,
money, and people and the wisdom of leaving when you are
ahead and when you’re not.” Prudence is the virtue of applying right reason to practice. In the case of managing our poker
stakes, prudence means the care of and moderation with money.
When players fold when a bet is raised, are they prudent? Or,
would it be more prudent to just check the “nuts?” However,
being prudent for eight hours of poker can be pretty boring.
7—“The ‘Law of Big Numbers’ must be considered when
ahead or behind.” Temperance is moderation of needed things
and abstinence from things that are not needed. It may be
defined as the righteous habit that makes a man govern his
natural appetite for pleasures of the senses in accordance with
the norm prescribed by reason. Of all the virtues that we have
discussed, this one is essential for players to get to the top of
their game. That means moderation of what cards are played,
and playing by reason instead of impulse; although, impulse is
not always a bad thing to have.
Jim McKenna, better known in poker rooms as “Jimmy Mac,” has been
practicing psychotherapy for over thirty-five years. This knowledge of
human behavior combined with his many years of gaming experience
gives him a unique perspective on the psychology of the gamer. His
books, the acclaimed “Beyond Tells: Power Poker Psychology,” and
now “Beyond Bluffs: Master the Mysteries of Poker,” are published
by Kensington Press. Jim welcomes e-mail comments and suggestions
at [email protected]
30
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
There is no definitive “correct” way to play poker.
Read a dozen different
instructional poker books,
and you are likely to find as
many differing ideas on how
to play those questionable
hands. Poker guidance from
who seems to win the most
cash in your regular homegame will be asked questions
such as, “Bob, I had bottom
pair and a flush draw. How
should’ve I played that on
the Turn?”
The “King of the home-
Poker Psychology:
Wisdom
POKER COUNSELOR
By John Carlisle, MA, NCC
Doyle Brunson is markedly different from that of
Phil Hellmuth; both have
contrasts to Dan Harrington,
which is nowhere similar to
…. You get the idea.
It leads many inexperienced players to a point of
frustration and confusion. As
we attempt to pour ourselves
into reading we find ideas in
some books and magazine
articles are oppositional to
each other.
We wonder which expert
we should listen to. There
are poker authors without
great playing resumes, but
who write excellent books
and articles with seemingly
sound advice. On the other
hand, there are poker world
champions that have written
flimsy information. It simply
is not easy to know where to
turn.
Euripides stated, “Along
with success comes a reputation for wisdom.” It is within our nature to automatically
assume that those who have
met success are undeniably filled with wisdom and
insightful information. We
can witness this on even the
home-game level. The guy
game” will
usually wear
a wry smile as he dispenses
his pearl of wisdom. The
assumption is that because he
has a pattern of winning, he
has more wisdom than you.
Imitation is often the natural
consequence. We look up to
poker players that we witness
winning, and we try our best
to follow that lead. We try
to play like them. We try to
think like them.
I can recall more than
20 years ago heading to
Baltimore’s Memorial
Stadium to watch a young
Cal Ripken Jr. play baseball. A Little League player
myself, I inspected every
single aspect of Cal’s game.
I spent hours in a batting
cage practicing the same
goofy batting stance that Cal
employed at the plate. The
bat flopped around in my
hands. My balance was way
off. Trying to mimic Cal
was not a successful venture.
Similarly, I had the chance
to get some real-life poker
instruction from Antonio “the
Magician” Esfandiari last
year.
Antonio is one of the most
Poker By
The Stars
mouthed smiles. What a picture for a poker magazine ad.
In front of him was a huge
pile of chips.
“Give me about another
half-hour, Joe; then we’ll go
to dinner,” Hobby said.
“Sure, take your time.”
I watched him rake in
pot after pot. He was on an
unbelievable run. In this particular hand he was engaged
in heavy betting with two
other players when an eight
was turned on the river. The
player ahead of him made
a sizable bet. Hobby took a
look at his chart and mucked
his hand. The remaining
player called and cards were
turned. Hobby raised a fist
in the air and shouted like he
was the winner.
(Continued from page 8)
idea. The bartender knows
me and said, “You okay,
Joe?”
“Yeah. Just a bad-beat
sucker punch. Give me a
double JD with water on the
side.”
I tossed that drink and
ordered another, which I
nursed for a while. It was
about an hour later when
I felt my wound was sufficiently anaesthetized and I
set out to find Hobby. I was
more than curious to see how
his stars were doing for him.
He saw me and sprouted
one of his trademark wide-
hyper-aggressive tournament players on the planet.
He talked about relentless
pressure, and believes that
a player should either bust
out in the first few levels
of a tournament or be the
chip leader at the final table.
While I respect his game and
his accomplishments, I knew
that his advice would not fit
into my mindset and style of
play.
It is often true that those
who’ve achieved great things
often do have great knowledge on a given subject.
Passively absorbing information is more harmful than
taking on no new information at all.
The key is become a savvy
and insightful consumer of
wisdom. Think thoroughly
about the source of information. Determine whether the
information is in line with
your beliefs, your style, and
your abilities. Extract the
bits that best fit you and are
most beneficial. Keep notebooks on the gems that you
believe can help you climb
the poker ladder. Be wary
of assuming that everything
you hear or read is right for
you. Be the best advocate
for yourself. Now go make
it happen.
John Carlisle is a
National Certified
Counselor with a Master’s
degree in Counseling
Psychology from West
Virginia University, and a
Bachelor’s of Psychology
from Lock Haven
University. Find out more
by emailing him at
[email protected]
I helped him gather up his
chips and said, “What the
hell was that yahoo about?
You lost the hand.”
“Sure, but my chart
showed the eight was a bad
card for me. It gave him a
straight. He would have beaten my two pairs! So how’d
you do, Joe?”
“Let’s just say that it was
a great coincidence that
you did so well and I did so
poorly, or…”
“Or the charts were righton, Joe!” Hobby said with a
raucous laugh.
“Ah, shut up. I don’t even
want to think about that possibility!”
Write to author David Valley
at: [email protected]
Limit Hold’em
..... Hold’em L ................ Limit
A, P ....... AM, PM
.No Limit Hold’em
Wk .............Week
..........Stud
MONDAY
NORTHWEST
PACIFIC NORTHWEST
TIME
OR
WA
T ............... Turbo
.7-Card Stud
|
TUESDAY
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
|
FRIDAY
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
| SATURDAY |
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
SUNDAY
GAMES BUY-IN
Chinook Winds Casino
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Blue Mountain Casino
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Final Table Cas., Everett
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Muckleshoot Casino
Northern Quest
Point Defiance Cafe & Cas., Tacoma
Suquamash Clearwater
Wild Grizzly
MT Black Jack’s Casino
4 Bears Casino
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Dakota Sioux
Gold Dust Cas., Deadwood
Rosebud Casino
Silverado Casino Deadwood
NORTHEAST
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NH Seabrook Greyhound Park
NJ
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MIDWEST
IA
Turning Stone
Catfish Bend
Isle of Capri
Winn-A-Vegas
IL
Hollywood Casino-Aurora
IN
Belterra (Florence)
Caesars Indiana
MI
MN
WI
LA
MO
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FLORIDA
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Caesar’s Atlantic City
Harrah’s Atlantic City
Tropicana
Trump Taj Mahal
Akwesasne Mohawk
Majesty Casino Boar
Chip-In’s Island
Lac Vieux Desert Cas., Watersmeet
Canterbury Park
Fortune Bay Casino
Northern Light Casino
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Menominee Casino, Keshena
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Potawatomi Northern Lights, Carter
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Harrah’s St Louis
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Copa Casino
Gold Strike Casino (Tunica)
Grand Casino(Tunica)
Horseshoe Casino (Tunica)
Pearl River Resort
Dania Jai-Alai
Derby Lane
Hard Rock
Mardi Gras Gaming Ctr, Hollywd
Palm Beach Princess
Pompano Park Casino
St Tropez Cruise
CANADA Casino Regina
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
31
Commerce LAPC
Dominated, Not!
STRAIGHT SKINNY
By RICHARD G. BURKE
Fred, normally a $4-8 Hold’Em player, strolled
into our local poker room after supper and signed up for $1-2
No-Limit – a surprise to me. I hadn’t seen Fred in over a week so
I gave him a big hello when he came to wait with me.
His wife had won a week’s vacation on the Las Vegas Strip, he
told me, and there he had fallen in love with Low-Limit No-Limit.
He had done okay trapping with small pairs and suited connectors, and of course playing the Bigs, he related, but now he had
a hand that he hated, Big Slick.
It seemed to him that every time he held Big Slick, someone
put him all-in with paired Aces or Kings, and he lost. “How likely
was that?” he asked.
There are only six cards left that can dominate your Big Slick,
I told him, namely, A-A-A-K-K-K. Against pocket Aces you’re a 13
to 1 underdog; against Kings you’re at least a 2 to 1 dog.
You have a selective memory, I told him, because when you
hold A-K, the chance that any of your nine opponents will hold
A-A or K-K is less than 5%. Here’s why.
The six danger cards could be anywhere. For example,
the probability that exactly two were dealt to the enemy is
C(6,2)*C(44, 16)/C(50,18), 0.346. Those two could be scattered
among the nine, or doubleton. Only when they’re in the same
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0
1
2
3
hand could they dominate you. The probability that they’re
doubleton is 15!!/17!!, 0.059. The combined probability is their
product, 0.02. Similar calculations for each number of danger
cards that the enemy could hold created the graphic showing
the probabilities of dangerous doubletons from zero to three.
The chance that no one has two of the six danger cards is
89.2%. The chance that one or more players each have two danger cards is 10.8%.
Those doubletons could be A-A, K-K, or A-K. Next, we examine
the fine structures of one, two, and three doubletons.
For one doubleton, including their suits, there are nine ways
that someone could have A-K and six ways to have A-A or K-K.
The probabilities are 0.6 (9/15) that someone will tie you and
0.4 (6/15) that someone will dominate.
For two doubletons, we look at the distribution of the cards
between the players. There are C(6,4)*3!!, or 45, ways to distribute four of the six danger cards between players. The probabilities are: not dominated, 0; tie, 0.4; dominated, 0.6.
For three opponents each holding perilous doubletons, someone must dominate you, although the probability of dealing all
six danger cards to the enemy in just three hands is 0.000005.
The table at right shows that P{ND}
P{T}
P{D}
when you hold A-K, 4.4% of the 0.8921 0.0642 0.0436
time someone will hold either A-A or K-K. You have a ‘selective
memory,’ I told Fred, because you remember your big losses and
disremember your easy wins. 89.2% of the time, no one can
dominate you before the Flop; 6.4% of the time someone’s Big
Slick will tie you.
As you know from watching poker on television, I told him,
you’re a ‘coin flip’ against an underpair, so about 90% of the
time, you might be even money or better to double up. “Wow,”
said Fred, hustling away to a $1-2 No-Limit table.
Mr. Burke is the author of Flop: The Art of Winning at
Low-Limit Hold ’Em, on sale at amazon &
kokopellipress.com. E-mail your Hold ’Em questions to
[email protected]
32
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
for a non-championship
WPT event.”
The L.A. Poker Classic
Championship drew such
poker luminaries as Daniel
Negreanu, Kathy Liebert,
Barry Greenstein, Todd
Brunson, Ted Forrest, Gus
Hansen, Erick Lindgren,
Chip Reese, Cyndy Violette,
Antonio Esfandiari or Phil
“The Unabomber” Laak,
Chau Chiang, Jamie Gold,
Joe Hachem, John Hennigan,
Mike Matusow, John
Juanda, Michael Mizrachi,
John Gale, David Williams
and such up-and-coming
superstars like Gavin Smith,
Vanessa Rousso, Patrik
Antonius, Michael Gracz,
David Benyamine, Kenna
James, J.J. Liu, Isabelle
Mercier, Nam Le, John Phan,
Erica Schoenberg, Johan
Storakers, Nick Schulman
and Joe Sebok.
But the brightest star in
this galaxy was Hershler,
who defeated a final table
that featured 2006 World
Series of Poker second place
finisher Paul Wasicka and
noted high-stakes player
Chau Giang in addition to the
always dangerous J. C. Tran.
6. Aram Abramyan . . $16,635
7. Harley Hall . . . . . . . $11,885
8. Edward Bligh . . . . . . $9,505
COMMERCE CASINO
EVENT #30
3/1/07
WPT NO LIMIT
HOLD’EM
CHAMPIONSHIP
BUY-IN $9,600 + $400
PLAYERS 791
PRIZE
POOL
$7,593,600
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Eric Hershler . . .$2,429,970
J C Tran . . . . . . .$1,177,010
Jacob Fernandez . $607,490
Paul Wasicka AKA
“Kwickfish” . . . . . $455,615
Chau Giang . . . . . . $341,710
David Bach AKA
“Gunslinger” . . . . . $257,425
William Edler AKA
“Bill” . . . . . . . . . . . $189,840
Vincent Procopio . $151,870
Benjamin Johnson $121,500
BUY-IN $1,500 + $80
BUY-IN $1,500 + $80
PRIZE POOL
PRIZE POOL
$174,600
$507,795
Kevin Song
James
Van Alstyne
James Van Alstyne $187,895
Gerson Mosbacher . $96,480
Gregory Geller . . . . $48,240
Randy Holland . . . . $30,370
Kenny McMahan . . $22,850
Oscar Erixon . . . . . . $17,775
Joseph Tehan . . . . . $12,695
COMMERCE CASINO
L.A. POKER CLASSIC
EVENT #27
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Raymond
Travis Rice
Raymond Travis
Rice . . . . . . . . . . . . $161,625
Angela McFarquhar
AKA “KK” . . . . . . . $85,555
Arash Ghaneian . . . $42,775
Duy Le . . . . . . . . . . . $28,520
Frank Sinopoli . . . . $21,390
COMMERCE CASINO
EVENT #23
BUY-IN $2,500 + $90
PLAYERS 257
PLAYERS 677
PRIZE POOL
PRIZE POOL
$623,225
$328,345
Oscar Carrasco
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Oscar Carrasco . . . $110,315
Paul Darden Jr . . . . $57,460
John Kim . . . . . . . . . $28,730
Michael Hulse . . . . . $19,765
Tri Huynh AKA
“Sonny” . . . . . . . . . . $14,775
6. Eric Mizrachi . . . . . $10,670
7. Bao Dao . . . . . . . . . . . $8,210
2/16/07
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $500 + $40
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Armando
Fernandez
Armando Fernandez $230,590
Tom Lee . . . . . . . . . $118,415
Max “Italian Pirate”
Pescatori . . . . . . . . . $59,205
Hans J “Tuna” Lund $37,395
Warren Karp . . . . . $28,045
John Esposito . . . . . $21,815
Cornel Cimpan . . . . $15,580
COMMERCE CASINO
L.A. POKER CLASSIC
COMMERCE CASINO
L.A. POKER CLASSIC
EVENT #26
2/22/07
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $1,000 + $60
EVENT #22
2/15/07
LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $2,500 + $90
PLAYERS 105
PRIZE POOL
PLAYERS 463
$254,625
PRIZE POOL
$449,110
Joe Sebok
Jeremiah Gilliam
1. Jeremiah Gilliam . $152,695
2. Kevin Song . . . . . . . $80,840
3. Bruce Buffer AKA
“Buff” . . . . . . . . . . . $40,420
4. Ali Zaghari . . . . . . . $26,945
5. Danny Smith AKA
“cpfactor” . . . . . . . . $20,210
6. David “Dragon”
Pham . . . . . . . . . . . . $15,720
7. Hasan Habib . . . . . . $11,230
EVENT #25
$490,000
Kevin Song . . . . . . . $66,345
Victor Perches . . . . . $33,175
Adam Spiegelberg . $16,410
Saifuddin Ahmad . . $10,475
Larry Ross . . . . . . . . $6,985
Tom Ellsworth . . . . . $6,110
Mickey Seagle . . . . . . $5,240
L.A. POKER CLASSIC
2/22/07
EVENT #29
PRIZE POOL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
COMMERCE CASINO
PLAYERS 490
PLAYERS 120
PLAYERS 349
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
2/17/07
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
L.A. POKER CLASSIC
BUY-IN $1,000 + $60
EVENT #24
LIMIT HOLD’EM
COMMERCE CASINO
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
COMMERCE CASINO
L.A. POKER CLASSIC
2/21/07
EVENT #28
L.A. POKER CLASSIC
2/22/07
6. Marko Kivi . . . . . . . . $8,000
7. Frank Rite . . . . . . . . . $6,500
L.A. POKER CLASSIC
COMMERCE CASINO
L.A. POKER CLASSIC
2/18/07
SHOOTOUTNO LIMIT HOLD’EM
1. Joe Sebok . . . . . . . . $96,750
2. Ralph E Porter
AKA “Rep” . . . . . . . $48,380
3. Matthew Szymaszek $23,935
4. Glenn Cozen . . . . . . $15,280
5. Michael Wu Ma . . . $10,185
6. Svetlana Gromenkova . $8,910
7. Timothy Joseph . . . . $7,640
COMMERCE CASINO
L.A. POKER CLASSIC
EVENT #21
2/14/07
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
TAG TEAM
BUY-IN $500 + $40
PLAYERS 139
PRIZE POOL
$67,415
BUY-IN $500 + $40
PLAYERS 430
PRIZE POOL
$208,550
Partho Data
1. Partho Data AKA
“Spiderman” . . . . . . $60,000
2. Jerry Johnson . . . . . $30,000
3. Bayani Flores . . . . . $18,000
4. Carlson Le . . . . . . . . $13,000
5. David Ramirez . . . . $10,000
Joseph Lopes &
Michael Segre
1. Joseph Lopes AKA
“Black Cat” . . . . . . . $12,805
1. Michael Segre . . . . . $12,805
2. Paramjit Gill . . . . . . . $6,405
2. Saifuddin Ahmad . . . $6,405
3. Steven Simmons . . . . $3,167
3. Phillip Penn . . . . . . . . $3,167
4. Roy Winston . . . . . . . $2,022
4. Julie Winston . . . . . . $2,022
“Oklahoma Championship of Poker” Wins With Full-House
By Byron Liggett
Considered one of the
major and most sought
after titles in the country,
the 2007 “Oklahoma State
Championship of Poker,”
held at the Cherokee Casino
February 1 – 13, exceeded all
expectations.
The 13-day competition
attracted more than 3,500
entries to 16 events, 11 of
which were championship
contests. There was nearly
$1.5 million in total prize
money and 17 different states
were represented by money
winners!
Hal Kirkpatrick, of
Stillwell Kansas won the
2007 Oklahoma State
Championship event, a $3,000
buy-in No-Limit Hold’em
competition that drew 130
players.
For his victory, Kirkpatrick
collected $124, 410 for
1st Place. In addition, he
received a handsome diamond ring and a seat into the
WPT Champions’ tournament. “I need this to pay for
my daughter’s wedding,”
Kirkpatrick beamed.
When the field of 130 was
reduced to six remaining players the action stopped and the
Final Table of six resumed
Monday at high noon. The
Final Table action was filmed
for television and will be
shown on Cox TV affiliates in
April.
Kirkpatrick is a much decorated poker veteran having
who’s cashed high in several
major tournaments and sat at
more than 100 online poker
final tables. “I’ve played
poker all my life and all over
the country,” the Champ said,
“for more than 35 years.” He
added, “I consider the poker
program here to be tops in the
country. Nowhere are players
treated better.”
But Kirkpatrick wasn’t
done winning. He returned
the next day to play in the
Champion’s Tournament. The
ten championship winners
played No-Limit Hold’em
to win a seat in the $25,000
WPT seat in Las Vegas. “It’s
been an incredible 48 hours!”
declared the Champ.
The CHEROKEE Casino
is a world class resort by any
measure. Its poker program
is proof. Few poker rooms in
the country are as large (36tables), sophisticated, or as
successful. Much credit goes
to Director of Poker and Table
Games Rich O’Connell and
his partners, Sr. Manager of
Poker Tony Armstrong and
Poker Manager Jimmy Sims.
Already one of the premier casinos in the state, the
Cherokee Casino has just
announced a $100+ million
dollar expansion to include a
new hotel tower, added convention space, new restaurants
and much more. “Next year
the Oklahoma Championship
of Poker will be even bigger!”
predicts O’Connell.
The Oklahoma State Poker
Championship 1st Place
Champions are listed below:
$13,469
WINNERS
$11,679
EVENT #10
CHAMPIONSHIP N-L
EVENT #9
EVENT #4
2-7 LOWBALL DRAW
SENIORS’ N-L
Buddy Williams
Lawton, OK
Richard Waldrum
Dallas, TX
$9,938
$24,552
EVENT #8
EVENT #3
H.O.S.E.
LADIES’ N-L
Jamie Brooks
Phoenix, AZ
Cherie Baber
Tulsa, OK
$10,529
EVENT #7
EVENT #2
POT-LMT OMAHA
NO-LIMIT HOLDEM
Greg Sellman
Las Vegas, NV
Brad Tisdale
Stringtown, OK
$17,186
$20,342
EVENT #6
POT-LMT HOLD’EM
EVENT #1
NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM
Ben Lamb
Tulsa, OK
Leon Hamrick
Tulsa, OK
$9,372
EVENT #5
LMT. OMAHA SPLIT
ADVERTISE IN
Hal Kirkpatrick
Stillwell, KS
Loren Klein
Golden, CO
$124,410
$17,186
POKER
PLAYER
IT WORKS!
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
33
OK-J’s Paris Report
BacK in the saddle Again
By OKLAHOMA JOHNNY HALE
My family and I have been across
the pond in Paris and while my wife
Carol and the girls had a wonderful
time there. They shopped in all the
fancy shops and we played a lot of
poker with the European folks. But it
is always nice to return home.
I was lucky enough to win some
extra Euros playing no limit poker
at the Aviation Club on the Champs
Elysee in Paris and was able to supply Carol and the girls with some
extra Euros to help out a little with
the exchange rate. The rate was
down to about $1.30 USA dollars for
one of the European common market
Euro.
Paris was all decked out in its
Christmas lights, and it was easy to
OK
Johnny
with
Oklahoma
Sarah
see why it is sometimes called the
City of Light. The rain on the streets
and lights made Paris resplendent.
It shone brilliantly and commanded
my daughter Sheri’s (from Oklahoma,
who came with us to Paris) and my
attention and admiration as we made
our way to the Eiffel Tower.
Yes, the French soldiers were there
with their rifles at the ready, guarding
the tower from the threat of extremists.
We took the elevator up a nearly
sixty degree angle to the first landing,
then transferred to the vertical elevator that took us to the tower’s top.
From the observation room we had a
360 degree view and a bird’s eye view
of many Paris landmarks, including
Notre Dame Cathedral, The Sorbonne,
the Palace of Versailles, The Louvre,
and the River Seine as it made its
way in a circle around the heart of
Paris. On one of its many islands
there was the Paris Statue of Liberty
— just like the one France gave us
years ago.
Sheri and I spent a long time studying the location of many of Paris’s
historical landmarks.
I told my wife Carol not to worry
about winning so much
from a rather rich Frenchman she was
playing no limit Hold em poker with. It
was Bruno, poker guru of the Aviation
Club, and he had already invited us
to come back next year. I just know
she smiled sweetly as she stacked his
chips in front of her and said, ‘yes.’ I
told her that is was OK to get sleepy,
tell him goodnight, and take the Euros
home to our hotel. I know that she
will smile once again when I tell her
that I can exchange each of those
Euros for dollars at the rate of $1.30
to =
C1.00.
I know you folks know that I
never ever brag about my daughter
“Oklahoma Sarah,” so I will just tell
you folks that I have a future world
champion on her way. She almost won
the championship of the European
Ladies Poker world.
Yes, of course she had the best
hand when her money went in, but
the poker gods said not just yet and
she finished in third pace in the world
of european ladies poker.
OK Sarah had our friend Bruno
worried that he had invited her and
was a bit concerned that she might
cause a diplomatic crises that only
Condoezza Rice could smooth over.
You know that the Secretary of State
of the United States of America
already has her hands full at the
moment.
Of yes, I did host “The European
Seniors” World Championship of
Poker Event on December the 13,
2006. Here are the results:=
C500 EFOP Seniors Championship
@ Aviation Club de France
Texas Hold’Em No Limit Freezeout
55 Players, Total Prize Pool: =
C25,300
#1 Sigi STOCKINGER (AUSTRIA) C
=9,620
#2 Georges GRANDCLERC (FRA) C
=4,805
#3 Donat BERNARD (FRA)
C
=3,290
#4 Michel PALMIERI (FRA)
C
=2,275
Until Next Time, Remember to STAY LUCKY!!
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.
The Los Angeles Sheriffs Department announced a charity poker tournament
benefiting the Fallen Officers Fund, which assists families of law enforcement officers and fire fighters who died in the line of duty.
The First Annual Memorial Poker Classic will be held at Commerce Casino
on March 10. Registration begins at 4:30, dinner is at 5:00 and the tournament
starts at 6:00 sharp. The cost is $140, and entrants can win a 7-day Mexican Riviera
cruse for two, big screen plasma TVs, a WPT prize package and additional prizes.
For additional information, contact Deputy Craig McClelland at (323) 821-2098
34
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
Dom Niro, poker room
manager of Majestic Star
in Gary, Indiana, intends to
take Chicago area tournament action to a new level
with plans to host three
televised Heartland Poker
players in the Midwest
and produce some exciting
prize pools.
Majestic Star is the largest poker room in the area
and features 21 action
packed tables, the largest
Majestic Star Ups The
Ante In Chicagoland
MIDWEST MILIEU
By bonnie demos
Tour events in 2007. The
first Chicagoland HPT
event was held last October
at the Majestic and generated an unprecedented prize
pool of $436,000.
Dom recently hosted a
party to launch the new
tournament series in style.
In attendance were area
poker notables Joel Casper
(October event winner,
$122,334), Elvin Simpson,
and Ron Strohl to name a
few.
Events are scheduled for
the following dates:
March 17th – 25th
July 21st – 29th
December 1st – 9th
Entry Fee for Qualifying
Rounds $560
Direct Buy-In into
Championships $2,700
Registration or buy in
at Majestic Star II level 3
Cashier Cage
For tournament details
visit www.majesticstar.com
or call 1-888-225-8259.
Majestic Star II is located about one hour south of
O’Hare Intl. Airport with
adjacent lodging available
on site. Advance reservations are recommended.
Dom Niro has earned
an excellent reputation for
hosting the biggest and
best poker tournaments
in Chicago; this action
packed tournament series
should bring out the best
d
tournaments
and biggest prize
pools, and
an attentive, professional
staff. The casino also
offers a variety of popular
weekly poker tournaments
including two Sunday
Freeze-Out tournaments,
Monday and Wednesday
PM tournaments, and a
$200 Freeze-Out every
Saturday. For additional
information contact the
poker room directly at
219.977.7444.
Future plans for the
Majestic Star include the
addition of a new casino
located in Pittsburgh, PA.
The $410 million glass and
steel casino is currently
undergoing construction,
with plans to open in
March of 2008. The new
facility will be located on
the banks of the Allegheny
River; plans include restaurants, retail shops, and
eventually, a $49 million,
300-room hotel.
Watch for this rising Star
to shine even bigger and
brighter into the future.
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]
Diamond Jim’s Casino
118 20th St. West
Rosamond, California
Exit A 14 Freeway
The Best Little No-limit Tournament in Southern California
The Last Sun of Each Month, 2pm $200 Buy-in–No Rebuys $10,000 in Tournament Chips
Call for more info: 661-256-1400
Coming
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Meeting All Your Travel Needs...
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Can Online Poker Be Saved?
gaming and gambling businesses. She is forthright in
her support of her “poker
guys.” But not for a minute
does she lead me to think
she will waiver in her substantial commitment to the
brick and mortar operators
in her district. They were
there long before online
gaming heated up.
The commercial
casino interests are represented by the formidably funded American
Gaming Association.
Frank Fahrenkopf, a highly
regarded and powerfully
connected lawyer is the
longtime president of the
AGA. He was close to
President Ronald Reagan
and has represented Wayne
(“Mr. Las Vegas”) Newton.
He knows the gaming business inside out. Suffice
to say Mr. Fahrenkoppf’s
group has not rushed to the
aid of the poker lobby. The
gaming industry is behind
a study bill for its own
purposes that will soon be
introduced in the House of
Representatives. Capitol
insiders are consistent in
saying that poker interests have no real prospect
of changing the present
course—which is to let a
poker carve-out bill fall
by the wayside in favor of
the commercial gaming
industry’s interests in a bill
to study the bigger picture of
online gaming.
It would now seem timely
for the PPA to make nice
with the AGA, even if it
elongates the timetable for
relief from the very present strains of UIGEA.
Congresswoman Berkley is
bent on building cooperation wherever she can. As
the reality of an uphill battle
looms for the whole gaming industry, will she bring
these groups to the table
in a bid to create a better
game plan for both? She has
not discussed any specifics, but don’t be surprised
if Congresswoman Berkley
soon makes the effort to
promote a meeting of the
minds.
Stay tuned for more news
from my recent Washington
travels, as well as follow-up
across the pond to check out
Alfonse D’Amato’s recent
visit with online gaming
folks on the Isle of Man.
a legal/business consultancy.
A longtime confidante and
advisor to Rudy Giuliani,
she also served as first assistant to Governor George
E. Pataki. She is consulted
by law firms, companies,
and governments around
the world. In her spare
time Wendeen became a
poker ace; she was elected
to the WPT’s Inaugural
Professional Poker Tour and
has cashed in five WSOP
events. She has written articles for various law journals
as well as the poker industry.
Visit eolis.com for info on her
book, and availability as a
speaker.
PokerStars is rumored to
be moving forward with a
scholarly report that will
prove that poker is a game
of skill rather than chance.
Now, there’s a plan for the
PPA! I left Washington
with clear advice for the
poker industry; let’s do our
homework before skating
too fast through the Halls of
Congress.
And as everyone who
was anyone in Washington
intoned, count the ways you
can support your representatives in the nation’s capitol.
Wendeen Eolis is CEO of
EOLIS International Group
tesy” call when you have
a large stack and your
opponent puts himself allin for a small amount of
chips. In truth, the later it
is in the tournament, the
more beneficial it is for
you to do this – within
reason. But, early in a
tournament with, say,
201 players remaining,
there is very little value
in taking even slightly the
worst of it to knock an
opponent out of the competition. That’s the truth,
and now I’ll tell you why
their common advice to
the contrary is bad…
Veering off course
When you’re thinking
about veering off course to
knock an opponent out of
the tournament, you need
to ask yourself this question: How much will this
sacrifice cost me? Let’s say
it will only cost $12 in tournament chips to try. Then
ask yourself how much you
will gain from eliminating
an opponent. Wait! This
is tricky. If there are 201
players left, you will actually gain, on average, about
1/200th of the value. That’s
5CF>BILM?1JLCHA.IE?L0IOH>3J
>>?>Tournament Schedule, April 18-28
#
Day
Date
Tournament
Buy in
Entry
Fee
Added
Money
Projected
Prize Money*
Entries
Last Time
ss
1
2
3
4
5
6
ss
7
8
9
10
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Mon
Tues
Tues
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
4-18
4-19
4-20
4-21
4-22
4-23
4-24
4-24
4-25
4-26
4-27
4-28
Super Satellite for #3
No-Limit Hold ‘em
Limit Hold ‘em
No-Limit Hold ‘em
No-Limit Hold ‘em
7-Card Stud/hi-low 8
Ladies No-Limit
Super Satellite for #10
Omaha Split 8
No-Limit Hold ‘em
No-Limit Shoot-out
No-Limit Hold ‘em
Totals
$100
$200
$200
$300
$200
$200
$200
$100
$250
$250
$250
$500
$10
$10
$10
$10
$10
$10
$10
$10
$10
$10
$10
$10
$5,000
$5,000
$5,000
$10,000
$5,000
$5,000
$6,500
$5,000
$10,000
$10,000
$10,000
$10,000
175 entries to #3
$153,400
$105,000
$228,000
$126,600
$39,800
$33,700
106 entries to #10
$76,750
$138,500
$139,250
$330,500
535
742
500
727
608
174
136
535
267
514
517
641
$86,500
$1,371,500
For Hotel reservations call Billie Robbins, Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm at 541-966-1549.
For other information call Tournament Host & Director Roland Waters at 541-966-1573.
* Expected prize money minimum is based on simply matching the actual number of entries we had for Fall 2006 PRU.
All tournaments start at noon; except the Super Satellites start at 6:30pm and the Ladies start at 2:30pm.
4CH=? OLACICHPCN?MSIONI\%?NLC=B'N?FFS;]
No re-buys O No-juice satellites O $3 max live game rake O Entry fees always only $10
More live game tables added O More tournament tables added O FREE Players-only daily gourmet buffets
Affordable $59 room rates at Wildhorse O We can get you even lower rates at nearby hotels
Most events qualify: Card Player Magazine Player of the Year O Four Great All-Around prizes:
Seven-day cruise to Alaska, outside cabin O Three seats at WPT Boot Camp of your choice
www.wildhorseresort.com, click on “Poker Round-Ups”
Interstate 84, Exit 216, Pendleton, Oregon
Wildhorse reserves the right to alter, cancel, or change this
promotion in any way, including the prize money distribution
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
35
Perks and Picks
Card Room Roundup
The Bargain Bin
By H. Scot Krause
“The Year of Luck” is here and to celebrate,
Casino Arizona has kicked off its biggest promotion of the millennium. The grand prize drawing for a BMW
7-series with $77,777 cash in the trunk will be held July 7, 2007
at 7:07 p.m.
“7/7/07 only happens once in a millennium and at Casino
Arizona, we are celebrating with the most exciting promotion
ever seen in Arizona gaming,” said Ric Hartman, director of
marketing for Casino Arizona. “This all-encompassing promotion
appeals to all casino guests whether they play slots, blackjack,
poker or keno; anyone who plays at Casino Arizona has a chance
to win!”
During the countdown to 7/7/07, additional drawings will take
place every month at Casino Arizona where seven lucky players at each of its two locations will win $7,777 and entry to the
grand prize drawing. An additional 70 drawing tickets will also
be entered into the grand prize drawing. All Casino Arizona
CASHBACK Players Club members are eligible to win drawing tickets to enter the monthly and grand prize drawings seven days a
week at both Casino Arizona locations. Total cash and prizes for
“The Year of Luck” is more than $777,777.
Blackjack players with a winning hand that consists of three
seven’s will be issued a drawing ticket, while keno players who
play a seven-spot game for seven consecutive games, will also
receive a drawing ticket.
Drawing tickets will be awarded to any poker player whose
hand contains three sevens. Random drawings will occur seven
times a day, seven days a week, in the slot department, where
CASHBACK Players Club members have a chance to win drawing
tickets and 777 Players Club points. Slot players with jackpot
hands along with those players earning 777 Players Club points in
a 24-hour time period will also win tickets for monthly and grand
prize drawings.
All CASHBACK Players Club members will have a chance to
celebrate “The Year of Luck” by playing and winning with 7/7/07,
seven days a week. Entrants for monthly and grand prize drawings must be present to win. For complete details and rules
relating to the 7/7/07 promotion, call (480) 850-7777, visit the
web site at www.casinoaz.com or visit guest services at either
Casino Arizona location.
Casino Arizona 101 & McKellips offers visitors more than
100,000 square feet devoted to gaming and entertainment.
Amenities include 50 blackjack tables, 998 EZ-Pay slot machines,
keno, a world-class showroom and gourmet restaurants.
Casino Arizona 101 & Indian Bend features 532 slot machines,
36 blackjack tables, 45 poker tables and fast action keno. A
sports-themed casino, guests can watch a live taping of the
sports show “We’ve Got Your Game” every Thursday night in the
Signals Lounge.
In the Casino Arizona Poker Room the “Aces Cracked Wins A
Rack” promotion on graveyard between 3:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
Monday - Friday continues to be a hit with an average of $1,000
paid out per day.
You can also learn to play poker and blackjack at Casino
Arizona’s “College of Cards.” You can learn the basic rules, strategy and terminology of blackjack and poker - plus how to play,
how to bet and even how to win! Blackjack classes are offered
at both Casino Arizona locations from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on
Saturdays and Sundays. Poker classes are offered from 7:00 p.m.
– 9:00 p.m. on Sundays at the Indian Bend location only, 101 &
Indian Bend.
That’s it for this week!
H. Scot Krause is a freelance writer, gaming industry
analyst and researcher, originally from Cleveland, Ohio.
While raising his 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]
36
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
The Venetian
Resort Hotel
Casino
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Toll Free: 877.883.6423 Local: 702.414.1000 Fax: 702.414.1100
www.venetian.com
The Venetian Resort
Hotel Casino is an awesome structure located in
the ‘new’ heart of the Las
Vegas Strip. Rising 36
stories into the blue Vegas
sky the resort offers some
of the most spectacular
architecture in Las Vegas.
It’s Venice based theme
includes a quarter mile long
Grand Canal complete with
real gondolas piloted by
singing gondoliers.
Opened in 1999 the
Venetian remains one of
the world’s largest hotels
with 4,026 all-suite guest
rooms. At 700 square feet,
a Venetian standard guest
room is about twice the size
of most hotel rooms. You
can take a visual tour of the
hotel’s guest options and
book your reservations on
line at www.Venetian.com.
Poker at the Venetian
is in a 10,500 square foot
poker room opened last
year by celebrity host,
Robin Leach. Venetian
poker operations manager,
Cathy Raymond, has considerable experience managing some of the world’s
largest poker operations
and knows how to provide
poker players with a quality experience. Tim Mix
handles the Tournament
Director duties for the
Venetian poker room and
gives tournament players
a well run, fun contest.
Players earn comps at the
rate of $1-$1.50 per hour
of play and a casino room
rate is available to qualified players. Call the poker
room direct for complete
details 702.414.7657.
The Venetian has the
largest poker room on
the Las Vegas Strip with
39 tables in an elegant
room. A separate “high
limit” room that is known
to host the ‘big game,’ the
one with $4,000-$8,000
blinds. Players are offered
Limit Hold’em in limits of
$2-$4 though $8-$16. NoLimit Hold’em comes in
$1-$2 blinds, $2-$5 blinds,
$5-$10 blinds, and up.
The Venetian poker room
spreads a popular $6-$12
Omaha and Mix game.
Almost any poker game
and limits will be spread
with enough player interest.
Two daily poker tournaments are offered Sunday
thru Friday in the poker
room. Beginning with a
Noon No-Limit Hold’em
$110 + $15 buy-in with one
$50 rebuy event. $5 dollars for the dealers gets you
an extra $1,000 to add to
the $1,500 in tournament
chips. An evening event
at 8:00 PM has the same
format as the Noon tournament. Saturday’s Noon
No-Limit Hold’em tournament has a $500 + $40
buy-in. Satellites for the
Saturday Noon event begin
at 8:00 AM with two win-
The Venetian’s poker room is the largest on the strip, boasting 39 tables.
Pechanga Poker
Unbelievably authentic Grand Canal
ner single tables for $130.
The Saturday evening
tournament is a $175 + $20
Buy-in with the $5 dealer
tip bonus. The No-Limit
Hold’em Bounty tournament pays players $10
every time they eliminate
another player.
The Venetian boasts a
120,000 square foot casino
filled with live table games
including blackjack, baccarat, craps, Roulette, Pai
Gow Poker, Carribean
Stud™, Let it Ride™,
Big Six, and much more.
Thousands of slot machines
will tempt players with
jackpots of millions. Check
out the popular quarter
machines offering winners
a new BMW to drive home.
As expected from one of
the worlds most elegant
casino resorts high limit
players are accommodated
in a style usually reserved
for heads of state and up.
Your room at the
Venetian is within easy
walking distance of major
Las Vegas strip resorts
and exclusive shopping
centers. Connected to the
Venetian is the Sand’s Expo
and Exhibition Center with
more than a million square
feet of space. The Grand
Canal is lined with 80 retail
shops guaranteed to please
the most discriminating
shopper.
Entertainment at the
Venetian runs the gamut
from a 40 foot Rock
Climbing Wall to a night
of great shows featuring
‘A’ list celebrities. Shows
include Phantom - The Las
Vegas Spectacular, Blue
Man Group, and Gordie
Brown Live. Madame
Tussaud’s Wax Museum
and the Guggenheim
Hermitage Museum are
located in the Venetian.
Night life at the Venetian
includes the famous TAO
Nightclub, the place where
the beautiful people mix
with the stars.
17 acclaimed restaurants prepare a long list
of culinary specialties for
every imaginable taste.
Whatever is the food of
your dreams it is served
with style at the Venetian.
Time Magazine named
Venetian chef, Thomas
Keller, as “America’s Best
Chef” and an evening of
dining at his fabulous restaurant, Bouchon, will have
you agreeing. With so
many food offerings hungry guests can enjoy their
favorite ethnic food, elegant
food, trendy food, fast food
and everything in between.
Room service is available 24 hours and offers a
complete menu for elegant
meals in the privacy of your
room.
Make your next stay
in Las Vegas a Venetian
Vacation and head for the
poker room for a truly great
poker playing experience.
—Joseph Smith, Sr.
APRIL 17, 2007 • 6:30PM
APRIL 20, 2007 • 6:30PM
CASINO EMPLOYEE TOURNAMENT*
No Limit Hold’em • $15,000 Guarantee
*Open to employees of all casinos
$100 Buy-in + $25 Entry Fee
Multiple Re-buys
*must show employee ID to enter
No Re-buys
APRIL 18, 2007 • 6:30PM
APRIL 21, 2007 • 5:00pm
$1,000 Buy-in + $80 Entry Fee
No Re-buys
$5,000 starting chips, 40 minute rounds
Final table will receive Championship Ring
No Re-buys
APRIL 19, 2007 • 6:30PM
No Re-buys
CHAMPIONSHIP
TOURNAMENT
Satellites for all events run daily 2PM - 6PM & 7PM-11PM through start of
last event on 4/21/07. Registration begins March 1st. Register before April
13, 2007 and receive a free jacket. Limited quantities. See a Poker Room
Floorperson for more information. Management reserves the right to cancel
or modify promotions without notice. Must be 21 or older to enter Casino.
MARCH TOURNAMENT SERIES
THURSDAY, MAR 1ST
6:30 PM
$5,000 Guarantee No-Limit Holdʼem
FRIDAY, MAR 2ND
6:30 PM
SATURDAY, MAR 3RD
4:00 PM
SUNDAY, MAR 4TH
4:00 PM
THURSDAY, MAR 8TH
6:30 PM
Ladies Only No-Limit Holdʼem
1 Place: $1,000 Buy-in seat 2007 World Series Ladies Only Event
st
THURSDAY, MAR 22ND
6:30 PM
FRIDAY, MAR 23RD
6:30 PM
SATURDAY, MAR 24TH
4:00 PM
2007 Big Showdown Series Tournament
SUNDAY, MAR 25TH
4:00 PM
1st Place: $10,000 Buy-in seat to the 2007 World Series, Guaranteed
DAILY TOURNAMENTS
DAILY DOUBLE JACKPOTS • Mon. thru Fri. 1-5PM • 9PM-12AM • 1:30-5AM • 6-9AM
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M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
37
7-Card Stud Home
Game Variations, PART 3
STUD SENSE
Book reviews
Swimming With the
Devilfish ... Under
the Surface of
Professional Poker
By ASHLEY ADAMS
In my last column I explained the basics of a great home game
variation of 7-Card Stud known as 7-Card Stud Hi-Lo Declare.
Here’s a hand to consider that will give you a good understanding
of the special nuances of the game.
It’s fourth street. You have: (JhJs)2s6d. Your opponent raised
on third street and shows (xx)9sKd. He bets again. What should
you do?
If this were the casino game of 7-Stud/8, without a declare and
with an 8 low as a qualifier, you would almost surely fold. There’d
be very little chance of you making a low hand because you started out with two high cards – and there’d be a pretty good chance
that you were behind your opponent who might well have a pair
of Kings, two pair, or even trip Kings by now. But in the declare
version of 7-Card Stud Hi-Lo you should almost surely raise. You
have a hand that looks like it is a low hand, but in reality it may
develop into a winning high hand.
You want to convince your opponent that you have an excellent
low hand because that will cause him to declare high – no matter
what becomes of his hand. You, on the other hand, will be able to
declare high and win the entire pot if you correctly estimate that
the hand you end up with is a better high hand than his. If, on the
other hand, your Jacks don’t improve – or if you otherwise gauge
yourself to be behind your opponent at the end, then you can still
save yourself by declaring low.
Consider the following scenario with the starting hands above.
On fifth street you get a Jc for (JhJs)2s6dJc. Your opponent
gets the 7c for (xx)9sKd7c. Since you raised on fourth street with
your two exposed low cards, it looks like you got an unhelpful
card – but that you’re still going for low. Contrary to what your
opponent believes, you have hit the perfect card, and he won’t
suspect it.
If he checks you should bet. If he bets you should raise. Your
bet or raise will still look to him like you are pushing your low
draw – maybe with a straight draw or something else to go with
it. If he hits anything scary, anything that convinces you that he
may well have hit a hand that you can’t beat for high, you can
always retreat on the river by just declaring low.
So let’s say on sixth street the hand develops as follows:
(JhJs)2s6dJcTh and he gets (xx)9sKd7c9s.
He’s paired his door card and may have two pair, trips or even
a full house. He surely doesn’t have a decent low. If he bets you
should still raise – because you are still trying to maintain that
you have a good low – A236T or something like it – which is better than any hand he could have for low. Even if he started with
A29 he wouldn’t be able to declare low with your board. You’re
guaranteeing yourself half the pot if you miss a very strong high
hand but holding out hope that you’ll hit Jacks full on the river
and so can declare high and scoop the pot.
Let’s say the river is:
YOU: (JhJs)2s6dJcTh(2c)
HE: (xx)9sKd7c9s(x)
You’ve hit a monster – Jacks full of deuces! If he bets (perhaps
with 9s or 7s full) you should raise. If he checks you should bet.
Either way, expect to scoop a mammoth pot.
If he checks you should bet; if he bets you should raise. After
this round of betting there’s a declare and then a final round of
betting. Take two chips in your hand and hold them over the table.
Expect him to do the same. You’ll both declare high – and he’ll be
very, very surprised!
by Steve Forte
Macmillan, 2006
ISBN: 1-4050-8952-0
330pp, $19.95
The United States may be
the center of the world poker
scene, but it’s hardly the
only place where interesting
poker is played. The UK,
for example, is replete with
skilled players plying their
trade within their own poker
economy and ecology. The
stories of these players aren’t
well known on this side of
the Atlantic, but one source
for this information is Des
Wilson’s book, “Swimming
With the Devilfish”.
Wilson’s book is divided
into two parts. The first
section, comprising about
a quarter of the book, is a
biography of Britain’s most
famous poker personality,
David “Devilfish” Ulliott.
We learn of the Devilfish’s
upbringing and his troubled
life before he became one of
the most recognizable poker
players in the world. We also
get a play-by-play account of
how he transformed himself
from a hooligan into a widely
respected poker professional.
The second section of
the book covers “everyone
else,” a group of poker
professionals that Wilson
calls the “Usual Suspects.”
Included in this group are
such notables as the Hendon
Mob, Andrew Black, Dave
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]
38
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
Colclough, and Donnacha
O’Dea. They may not be as
widely known as the biggest
names in the US, but they are
well respected by those who
closely follow the international poker scene. Their stories
are woven together through a
narrative in which the author
travels the professional poker
circuit through the
UK, the US, and
parts of continental
Europe during the
2005 tournament
season.
Wilson is a
poker player,
although admittedly occupying
a much lower
stratum than his
subjects. He understands the
game well enough to “get it
right,” but he isn’t ashamed
to admit when he is in over
is head. Wilson uses these
two aspects of his make up
to straddle a tough line. His
story is accessible to those
who are relative poker novices while still earning the
respect of hard-core players.
Wilson is also a skilled
writer, a fact that is easy to
overlook as his narrative
moves effortlessly along.
If the reader looks a little
deeper, however, one will
find many spots in the book
where a careful choice of
words displays a keen intellect and quick wit. Much
of what he writes contains
significant subtleties revealed
only upon careful inspection
of his meticulously crafted
prose. As a
writer, I’m
impressed
by the
deliberateness with which
he writes while making the
effort he puts into his craft
completely transparent to the
reader.
In addition to the excellent
writing, Wilson’s
book introduced
me to the UK
poker scene, which
was mostly new to
me. I have read so
many books about
poker in the United
States, that the
topic has become a
bit dull for me. In
“Swimming With
the Devilfish,” I learned a
great deal about people that
knew only superficially, and
was introduced to an entire
poker culture that was entirely unfamiliar. I really enjoy
reading about topics that I
both enjoy and know nothing about, and when a book
comes along that fulfills both
criteria, I get a little excited.
Because of this, I may be
a little more exuberant about
this book than the typical
poker book reader. Also,
the book is definitely written for a British audience,
so certain terms and phrases
may be unfamiliar to US
readers. However, I expect
that anyone who finds the
book’s subject matter even a
little intriguing will enjoy it
greatly. I certainly did.
—Nick Christenson
Entertainment
Listings
Entertainment RePORT
By LEN BUTCHER
There are a lot of funny guys around and one
of the funniest is an alumni of Saturday Night
Live who’s brought his brand of humor to the
Las Vegas Hilton for an indeterminate run in
the resort’s Shimmer Cabaret. His name is Joe
Piscopo and he had them rolling in the aisles
when I dropped into see him the other night.
Talking to Piscopo involves a great deal of
concentration as the words come pouring out
fast and furious and you don‘t want to miss
Joe Piscopo
anything. “I’m more of an entertainer than
a comedian,” he says. “I love Seinfeld (Jerry) and Brenner
(David), but I like to be standing on the stage improvising, like I
did way back in the late ’70s in New York.”
He tells about going to audition night at the Improv, saying, “I remember I drove from Jersey and there were like 200
people in line waiting to audition. I didn’t even get out of the
car, just turned around and went home, but six weeks later I
was a regular there.”
He says his big break came from Saturday Night Live (SNL).
“I was at the Improv and SNL was looking for new players.
In my mind, I’m thinking this is the last thing I’m gonna do.
Who wants to replace Gilda (Radner), and Chevy (Chase), Dan
(Ackroyd), Belushi? I had a friend who was a writer on the
show and he tells them, ‘You gotta see Joe.’ They needed somebody to do characters, so I got in to see them and I showed
them my Frank Sinatra-esque character and they dug it.
“And I’m thinking, there’s no way I want this job, I can’t do it.
I was doing voiceovers for commercials in New York—I was an
anonymous working actor/entertainer and that’s all I wanted to
be in my life. But we went into the studio; I did a few characters and got hired!
“Anyone who knows the show knows that the original cast
was probably the best cast in the history of television. John
Belushi. Eddie Murphy. Chevy (Chase). Billy Murray the greatest of all. I can’t tell you what a thrill it was. Danny Ackroyd
was the captain of the Starship SNL, the guy we all look up to
and our idol.
But when Belushi would come in, he was standoffish. Then
he took us out to lunch to the House of Blues, a little blues bar
down in the Village, a beat-up old place, hole in the wall. I’m sitting there all by myself, scared to death and Belushi comes up
to me and says, ‘Piscopo.’ And I think, Oh geez, what now? He
puts some coins in the jukebox and plays New York, New York,
and he and I started doing dueling Sinatras. I’ll never forget it,
Belushi singing, ‘Start spreading the news….’ and we’re going
back and forth.
Everyone started to watch it… and then Belushi drew into
himself and stepped away. But he just wanted a moment, you
know….I felt bad for him because he was such a huge icon and
he just wanted to hang and people pushed him. I’ll never forget
that. He was such a sweet soul and that was a big moment for
me.
“These are good memories,” he says, and tells about the
time he wrote Sinatra a letter and “I poured my heart out
(we’re both Italian Americans from the same neck of the woods,
North Jersey). I ended by saying that it is out of respect that I
do him in my act and that he was my hero.
“I sent the letter but I don’t hear anything back. I’m thinking, I hope I didn’t tick him off, but I kept doing the impression.
Then one day, I get a chance to meet him and he says, ‘Hey, Joe
Baby, how are ya?’ like I was his best friend. He was so warm
and wonderful, like a father figure to me and every single time I
met him — I was never in the inner sanctum — he would ask me
to perform for him. It was so cool.
You can catch Piscopo Sunday thru Thursday at 9:30 p.m.
Tickets are $39.95 plus tax and service charges.
Len Butcher, a 25-year resident of Las Vegas, is an
online columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal
and a former Managing Editor of the Las Vegas Sun
and of Gaming Today. Reach him at [email protected]
40
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
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
Richard Marx
May 1, 7 & 9 p.m.
Casino Arizona (13)
CALIFORNIA
Mar 22, 8 p.m.
Chumash Casino Resort (28) Earth, Wind & Fire
Ballroom Dance Party
Thursdays 8 p.m. to Midnight, Sundays 2-6 p.m.
Cambodian Dance Party
Fridays 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Crystal Casino & Hotel
Karaoke
Thursday through Monday
El As De Oros Night Club
Presents Banda Nortina Sats 8 p.m.-3 a.m.
Live Jazz, Tues. 8 p.m.
Hollywood Park Casino (5) Finish Line Lounge
Pechanga Resort & Casino (37) Steve Lawrence & Edie Gormé Mar 16-17, 8 p.m.
CONNECTICUT
George Carlin
Foxwoods Resort Casino
Mar 19, 9 p.m.
NEW JERSEY
Nikolai Baskov, Taiciva Povale
Trump Taj Majal
Mar 17, 8 p.m.
& Larissa Rudakova
NEW YORK
Pat Benatar & Neil Geraldo
Seneca Niagara Casino
Mar 17, 8 p.m.
NEVADA-LAS VEGAS
Magician Steve Wyrick
Aladdin Hotel & Casino
Ongoing, Wednesday through Monday, 7 & 10 p.m.
Donn Arden’s Jubilee!
Sat-Thu, 8 p.m.
Bally’s Resort & Casino
“The Price is Right” Live Stage Show Tues, Thurs & Sat, 2:30 p.m. & Fri, 8 p.m.
Mar 24, 8 p.m.
Boulder Station Hotel & Casino (6) Blue Oyster Cult
Stevie Nicks
Caesar’s Palace
Mar 20-24, 8:30 p.m.
The Yardbirds
Apr 6, 8 p.m.
Cannery Hotel & Casino
Thurs thru Mon, 10:30 p.m.
Fitzgerald’s Hotel & Casino (27) Steve Connolly
Tue
thru Sun (dark Mon), 7:30 p.m.,
Forever Plaid
Gold Coast (20)
Sun 3 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Rita Rudner
Harrah’s Hotel & Casino
Ongoing (dark sundays), 8 p.m.
Legends In Concert
Mondays through Saturdays, 7 & 10 p.m.
Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino
Troubador Lounge-Live Entertainment Fri & Sat, 9 p.m.
Joker’s Wild (8)
Barry Manilow
Mar 21-24, 8 p.m.
Joe Piscopo
Las Vegas Hilton
Sundays thru Tuesdays. 9:30 p.m.
Menopause, the Musical
8 p.m. nightly Sat thru Thu
Carrot Top
Luxor Resort & Casino
Sun thru Fri, 8 p.m. & Sat, 7 & 9 p.m.
Mandalay Bay Resort &
7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays; 8 p.m.
Mamma Mia
Casino
Fridays; 7 & 10:30 p.m. Saturdays, Mondays.
Rod Stewart
Mar 17, 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)
Mar 23-24, 10:30 p.m
The Mirage Hotel & Casino (9) Jay Leno
The Beatles LOVE
Thursdays thru Mondays, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Tuesdays thru Saturdays, 7pm; Tuesdays &
Monte Carlo Resort & Casino
Magician Lance Burton
Saturdays. 7 & 10 p.m.
(35)
Earl
Turner
Thu thru Sun, 8 p.m.
Palace Station Hotel &
Casino (6)
Gabe Kaplan’s Laugh Trax
Tuesdays thru Saturdays, 7 p.m.
Playboy Comedy Club
Saturdays, 8 & 10:30 p.m.
Palms Casino & Resort (28)
Carlos Mencia
Mar 23, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Zowie Bowie
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 (16)
Splash
Tue thru Sun, 9:30 p.m
Neil Diamond Tribute
Sun thru Thu, 7 p.m.
The Scintas
Tue-Sat, 7 p.m.
The Amazing Jonathan
Fri-Wed, 10 p.m.
Sahara Hotel & Casino (18)
The Platters, Coasters and
8 p.m. nightly
Drifters
Feb 15, 8:30 p.m.
Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino (12) Kari & Jerry
Ty Herndon
Mar 24, 8 p.m.
Santa Fe Station (6)
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.
John Corbett
Mar 16, 7 p.m.
Sunset Station (6)
Isaac Hayes
Apr 28, 8 p.m.
Texas Station (6)
Mystere
Treasure Island
Ongoing, Wednesdays thru Saturdays 7:30 p.m.
Phantom of the Opera
Nightly, 7 & 10 p.m.
Blue Man Group
Nightly, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m.
Venetian Hotel & Casino
Gordie Brown
Ongoing, 7:30 p.m. (dark Wed & Thu)
LAKE TAHOE
Anita Mann’s Party Girls
Ongoing (dark Mondays) 10 p.m.
Harrah’s/Harvey’s Lake Tahoe
RENO
Brooks & Dunn
Mar 15, 8 p.m
Peppermill Hotel & Casino
Wayne Brady
Mar 24, 8 p.m.
Silver Legacy
because the value of eliminating this one opponent is
divided among the entire
field of remaining players.
In other words, whatever
value eliminating this player adds to the expectations
of all players, you — being
only one of 200 players
— will profit only the same
as the others will. So, if
it’s costing you $12 to try
and you’re taking $5 the
worst of it, then the value
of eliminating this player
right now needs to be at
least $1,000 (200 players
times $5). Otherwise, you
usually shouldn’t go out of
your way to eliminate that
player. We’re talking about
tournament chip money
here. You might be a little
more aggressive in trying
to eliminate a strong opponent, but not by much.
Now it becomes clear
why the advice to always
try to eliminate opponents
is terrible. Most players sacrifice too much in
their attempt to eliminate
opponents. The logic I’ve
just presented is not pure,
though. Who benefits most
of opposing chips, but you
have fewer opponents to
contend with and the chips
become reduced in value,
because they’re concentrated in a single stack.
Contrary to the opinions
of some, this concentration
of chips does not make it
harder for you to win a
tournament. If everyone
were playing primarily
to win first place, your
chances of winning first
place are about the same
with your $10,000 versus
two opponents, each with
$45,000, as your same
$10,000 versus one player
with $90,000.
by the elimination of an
opponent depends on the
size of players’ stacks. Not
everyone benefits equally,
so I just used a crude
example to show that the
average benefit is shared
among all players. By the
way, it is not always clear
who benefits more by the
elimination of an opponent
— a player with a large
stack or the player with
a small stack. At the last
table, small stacks clearly
benefit more, because they
move up in money position
when they might otherwise
have been eliminated. In
early stages, players with
large stacks sometimes
benefit more when a
short stack tries to do the
eliminating, because mathematically their stacks are
chip-for-chip less valuable
than stacks of opponents
with fewer chips.
This is clear: One of the
best things that can happen
to all remaining players
is for two opponents with
huge stacks to collide and
one be eliminated. You
then face the same number
Guaranteed
In each case — ignoring other minor factors
— your chance of winning are about 10 percent.
That’s because in both
cases, you control 10 percent of the chips and 90
percent are controlled by
others. Ignoring the allin factor, that makes it
about 9-to-1 against you,
no matter how you apportion the chips among your
opponents. Of course, your
chance of taking second
are much greater against
the single opponent. In
fact, your chances of taking at least second are
guaranteed — and that’s
why you want big stacks
to go to war, especially
late in a tournament, so
they eliminate each other,
giving you a bigger payday without even playing a hand. It’s also why
— when you have a lot of
chips — you do not want
to go to war at high risk
against another big stack.
That’s just gives the idle
players an advantage.
The big argument players give for wanting to
eliminate an opponent is:
“They might come back
to beat you.” So what?
They might come back to
beat somebody else, too.
Besides, they’re more likely to beat you if you try to
eliminate them and lose,
because then they have
more chips to build from
and to beat you with. Why
is it so much more tragic
if a person you might have
eliminated comes back to
beat you than if someone
else knocks you out of a
tournament? There is no
logic to this common wisdom. Think about it.
The only thing that
matters is whether sacrificing normally profitable strategy in an effort
to eliminate an opponent
will add or subtract from
your expected payoff. In
the late stages of a tournament, where you share the
benefit with fewer players when an opponent is
eliminated, it’s often worth
making a moderate sacrifice. In the early stages, it
is not. That’s the simple
truth. You may not like
the sound of it, and it may
run contrary to everything
you’ve heard before. But
it’s the truth, anyway.
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.
Start qualifying now for
the 2nd Quarterly
tournament to be held
April 22nd & 23rd 2007
Guaranteed $10,000
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March 3rd and March 10th @ 2 PM
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Get your seat now to be guaranteed
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Date
Day
Time
Event
RB/AO
Mar 10 Saturday 2 PM
Super Satellite
RB/AO
Mar 11 Sunday
2 PM
Sunday Tournament
N/A
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N/A
Mar 18 Sunday
2 PM
Sunday Tournament
(1)R/B
Saturday Tournament
(1)R/B
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2 PM
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(1)R/B
Day
Wednesdays
Thursdays
Fridays
Daily Poker Room Tournaments
Time
Event
RB/AO
6 PM
No Limit Hold’em
RB/AO
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1 RB/AO
2 PM
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Entry Fee
$40+$20
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Comanche Red River Casino reserves the right to
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M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
41
Big Luck
2007-08 WORLDWIDE
POKER TOURNAMENTS
KILLER Poker
NOW! Get Tournament Listings at our website: www.pokerplayernewspaper.com
By John Vorhaus
Recently I came into an event at
the Los Angeles Poker Classic determined to
start out slow and easy… “take the temperature of the table,” as I described it to myself.
Yeah, that was my plan, but I’m such a pumpkin
that within fifteen minutes I had drained away
half my stack on a bunch of reckless adventures and hazardous bluffs. That’s what happens when you take the temperature of the
table using a rectal thermometer shoved up
your own butt.
Desperate times calling for desperate measures, I immediately made a deal with God.
“God,” I said, “if you get me out of this mess
I’ve made, I promise I’ll stop playing stupid.”
To which God responded, “Geez, JV, don’t
make promises you can’t possibly keep.”
Nevertheless, big luck came to my rescue a few
hands later when I got my money in against
pocket aces with Ka-Ja and caught runnerrunner hearts to get back into the game.
Making the most of my second chance, I settled down to some strong, solid, thoughtful and
attentive poker. For the next eleven hours, I
played my aforementioned butt off, and though
I never accumulated many chips, I also never
got my money in with the worst of it. Guess I
managed to stop playing stupid after all.
I busted out in 18th place, when my K-Q got
run down by… ironically enough… Ka-Ja. I
would like to have finished higher, of course,
but I can’t be too upset about being knocked
out of the tournament by the very hand that
had kept me in it half a day prior.
But I’ve been thinking about this luck business, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s
better to get your chips in after you’ve gotten
the luck than before. Self-evident, right? Yet
I’m shocked at how many tournament players
willingly shove their stacks in with something
like 7-7, hoping to get called by A-K, and then
to end up on the right side of the coin flip. Isn’t
it better to get your money in with a 3-1 or 4-1
advantage? To that end, consider the Big Luck
approach to tournament poker.
Basically, this strategy calls for being liberal
with your limps when chips are cheap, hoping to flop huge and ride the implied odds to a
large pot. Naturally, you can take this approach
with middle pocket pairs looking to flop a set,
but you can also use it with middle suited connectors, or suited aces or suited kings… anything that can score big with an improbably
lucky flop. Or say five limpers bring it back
to you in the small blind. Call with anything.
You’re getting the right time to try to score
some big luck.
Most of the time, of course, you won’t get the
big luck, and then you have to be able to get
away from your hand (or you’ll donk off your
chips like I did.) But every now and then, you’ll
come upon a situation where the price of a call
is low enough – effectively zero in terms of the
overall tournament situation – that you can
take a stab at getting very lucky before you
have to put very much of anything in the pot.
[John Vorhaus is the author of the Killer Poker book
series, including Killer Poker Online/2 and Killer
Poker No Limit! Visit him online at vorza.com.]
42
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
>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, Managing Editor, at: [email protected]
DATE
EVENT
Feb 21-Mar 11
>Mar 1-23
Mar 5-14
Mar 7-11
Mar 7-18
Mar 8-11
>March 9-18
>Mar 9-25
>Mar 12-16
Mar 14-17
Mar 14-18
>Mar 24-Apr 1
Mar 25-28
>Mar 26-Apr 4
Mar 28-Apr 1
>Mar 28-Apr 8
>Mar 30-Apr 4
Apr 7-27
Apr 11-15
>Apr 12-29
>Apr 17-21
>Apr 18-28
Apr 21-27
Apr 22-29
Apr 23-May 2
May 2-6
>May 4-17
>May 4-20
May 6-16
>May 8-20
>May 8-23
May 10-14
>May 11-13
LOCATION
The Wynn Classic
The Wynn, Las Vegas, NV
Winnin’ o’ the Green
The Bicycle Casino (AdPg 24), Bell Gardens, CA
WSOP Circuit Event
sCaesars Atlantic City, Atlantic City, NJ
Grand Final
eMonte Carlo Bay Resort, Monte Carlo
Spring Poker Festival
Concord Card Casino, Vienna, Austria
Hohensyburg Open
eCasino Hohensyburg, Dortmund, Germany
Ultimate Poker Challenge
Binion’s Gambling Hall (AdPg 22), Las Vegas, NV
17-Day Poker Extravaganza
Peppermill Casino, Reno, NV
Bay 101 Shooting Star
tBay 101 (AdPg 11), San Jose, CA
Polish Open
eHyatt Regency, Warsaw, Poland
Heartland Poker Tour Event
Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel, Tama, IA
Rock ‘n’ Roland Poker Tournament Cherokee Casino Roland (AdPg 39), Roland, OK
World Poker Challenge
tGrand Sierra Casino Resort, Reno, NV
WSOP Circuit Event
sCaesars Indiana (AdPg 17), Elizabeth, IN
EPT Grand Final
eMonte Carlo Bay Resort, Monte Carlo, Monaco
Sport of Kings
Hollywood Park Casino (AdPg 5), L.A., CA
Foxwoods Poker Classic
tFoxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, CT
5-Star World Poker Classic
tBellagio, Las Vegas, NV
Shooting Star Casino & Hotel, Mahnomen, MN
Stars & Stripes
Bicycle Casino (AdPg 24), Bell Gardens, CA
Masters of Poker
Pechanga Resort & Casino (AdPg 37), Temecula, CA
Spring Poker Round-Up
Wildhorse Resort & Casino (AdPg 35), Pendleton, OR
WPT Championship
tBellagio Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
WPS Caribbean Poker Cruise
Mariner of the Seas, Port Canaveral, FL
sCaesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV
WSOP Circuit Event
Western Canadian Poker Classic Casino Yellowhead, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Mirage Poker Showdown
Mirage Hotel & Casino (AdPg 9), Las Vegas, NV
Heavenly Hold’em
Commerce Casino (AdPg 43), Commerce, CA
WPS Bahamas Poker Showdown Crystal Palace Casino, Cable Beach Resort, Bahamas
NPA Tour
Hollywood Park Casino (AdPg 5), L.A., CA
Mirage Poker Showdown
Mirage Hotel & Casino (AdPg 9), Las Vegas, NV
Oasis Open Poker Tournament Oasis Resort & Casino, Mesquite, NV
Spring Festival (incl. Nat’l Sit’N
Go Ch’ship May 12, 12 noon)
Hawaiian Gardens Casino (AdPg 23), Hawaiian Gardens, CA
May 11-16
Grand Prix de Paris
tAviation Club of France, Paris, France
May 11-21
Spring Pot of Gold
Grand Sierra Hotel & Casino, Reno, NV
May 12-21
Turning Stone Classic
Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, NY
May 13-22
Nat’l Poker League Paris Open Cercle Gaillon Casino, Paris, France
May 14-23
WSOP Circuit Event
sHarrah’s New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
May 16-20
Leelanau Sands Casino, Peshawbestown, MN
>May 17-29
Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge III Cherokee Casino Resort (AdPg 39), Tulsa, OK
>May 19-23 Mirage Poker Showdown
tThe Mirage (AdPg 9), Las Vegas, NV
May 19-25
CEO Poker Tournament
Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, NJ
>May 21-31
Mini Series Warm Ups
May 25-Jun 4
Spring Fling
Sycuan Resort & Casino, El Cajon, CA
May 29-Jun 3
Mandalay Bay Poker Ch’ship
tMandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
>June 1-July 8 Mini Series
June 1-July 17
World Series of Poker
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
June 10-17
Turning Stone Casino, Verona, NY
June 12-16
Casino Poker Masters
Casino Seefeld, Tirol, Austria
>Jun 16-17
Poker’s #1 Family Tournament Hollywood Park Casino (AdPg 21), L.A., CA
>July 21-29 Heartland Poker Tour Event Majestic Star Casino (AdPg 33), Gary, IN
Aug 20-27
Grand Casino Mille Lacs, Onamia, MN
>Aug 25-29 Legends of Poker
tBicycle Casino (AdPg 24), Bell Gardens, CA
Aug 29-Sep 2
Edmonton Poker Classic
Casino Edmonton, Edmonton, AB, Canada
>Sep 4-23
California State Poker Ch’ship Commerce Casino (AdPg 43), Commerce, CA
Sep 12-16
Northern Lights Casino, Walker, MN
Sep 16-20
Borgata Open
tThe Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ
>Sep 25-29 World Poker Dealer Ch’ships Binion’s Gambling Hall (AdPg 22), Las Vegas, NV
Sep 27-30
California Ladies State Ch’ship Oceans 11 Casino, Oceanside, CA
>Sep 27-Oct 14 Big Poker Oktober
Oct. 7-13
North American Poker Ch’ship tNiagara Fallsview Resort Casino, Niagara Falls, Canada
>Nov 2-18
Holiday Bonus Tournament
Commerce Casino (AdPg 43), Commerce, CA
Nov 6-18
Fall Poker Round-Up
Wildhorse Casino, Pendleton, OR
>Nov 8-13
World Poker Finals
tFoxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, CT
>Nov 22-Dec 9 Turkey Shoot/Ho-Ho Hold’em The Bicycle Casino (AdPg 24), Bell Gardens, CA
Dec 1-9
Majestic Star Casino, Gary, IN
Dec 13-18
Bellagio 5 Diamond World Poker Classic tBellagio, Las Vegas, NV
>Jan 5-8
Poker Stars Caribbean Poker Adventure tAtlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas
Jan 21-25
World Poker Open
tGold Strike Casino, Tunica, MS
>Feb 23-28 L.A. Poker Classic
tCommerce Casino (AdPg 43), LA, CA
M A R C H 1 9, 2 0 0 7
43
A MILLION BUCK
GRABS EVERY SS UP FOR
UNDAY
(THAT'S THIS PA
GE x 333.33, JUST
SO Y
OU KNOW)
SUNDAY MILLI
ON
THE WORLD'S L
ARGEST WEEKL
Y POKER TOUR
NAMENT

Pokerplayernewspaper.com Back Issues Pp070319s

Transcription

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