WPT Grand Prix De Paris

Date: Fri, May 14, 2010

The World Poker Tour has returned to France for the WPT Prix de Paris tournament series at the Aviation Club de France. The Main Event is currently underway which has a €10,000 buy in. At total of 106 players entered into this event. The prize pool is a respectable €2,347,797 to be divided amongst 27 players with first place getting paid €633,902.

Players from all over the world have traveled to play this event. Bertrand ‘Elky’ Grospellier, Guillaume Darcourt, Thomas Bichon, Freddy Deeb, Men ‘The Master’ Nguyen, Isabelle Mercier, Theo Jorgenson, and Roberto Romanello are among those that have made appearances for this prestigious event. Of course the top French players like Arnaud Mattern Rui Cao, Nicolas Levi, and Ludovic Lacay showed up to represent their country.
The Main Event WPT Grand Prix de Paris run from May 8th until May 12th, with the final table on May 15th. The final table will be televised. There is also a high roller event that will run from May 14-16. The High Roller Event is a €20,000 buy in event which will also have some exciting coverage. This event will also be televised.

The Aviation Club is located in Paris on the Champs-Elysees, and it is home to some of the best cash games in Europe. In addition to some of the best poker action in Europe, the Aviation Club has other table games such as Baccarat, Poker Black Jack, Punto Banco, and Caribbean Stud Poker. There is something for every table game connoisseur at the Aviation Club.

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Three Reasons to Visit the WSOP

Date: Tue, May 11, 2010

I’ve attended the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas for the last couple of years, mainly as a spectator. Poker friends of my mine play in a few of the $1,500 events, so normally my role for the week is to win as many tournament buy-in chips for them as I can through the single-table satellites that are always running. I normally do really well at these considering my online poker SNG experience combined with the number of unskilled tourists that frequent the games. Between the satellites and the vendors, I’m normally pretty happy for the five days or so that I’m there. There are many other reasons to come down and check out the WSOP though, regardless of your skill level. Here are a few reasons why:

Pros Galore: If you like to gawk at pro poker players and get your hat signed by the biggest names in the game, the WSOP presents the best opportunity. Practically every major pro in the game shows up at the WSOP at one point or another, and most of them are happy to take a photo with you and sign something. Just make sure you adhere to some basic etiquette and not bother the players while they’re on a short break or obviously occupied with another responsibility.

Witness the Poker Spectacle: If you’ve never been to the WSOP, the first thing that will blow you away is the sheer scope of the event. Hundreds of poker tables line the main ballroom where the games take place, and it’s truly a sight to see so many poker players in one place at one time.

Buy Some Swag: Unless you do a lot of shopping online, you probably don’t get a lot of opportunity to get your hands on some good poker gear. Well, the WSOP normally has a decent number of poker-based vendors with booths setup, selling everything from t-shirts and books to card protectors. Many of these items can become hard to find after the event as well, so come with some spending money in hand.

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Weekly SNG Tip: Staying Sharp

Date: Mon, May 10, 2010

Due to work and other different obligations, I don’t get to play nearly as much live poker as I would prefer to. As a result, you can normally find me in at the SNG tables almost seven days a week, typically very late at night. I have a theory that poker players that play both live and online poker are able to maintain their focus better than those that just play online, as live poker forces a player to stay sharp and more alert, while online poker can be played in a very casual manner. One thing I noticed when I stopped playing a lot of live poker was that my attention a the digital tables began to falter a little, which is why I had to make an effort to try and maintain my focus.

It’s very easy to get distracted while playing online poker. You can watch TV, browse the Internet and do any number of things that take your attention off the game until the little notification sound alerts you to get back to the action. I started falling victim to these distractions more and more off since I was so comfortable with my SNG strategy that I felt that I could play robotically and still do well enough to remain profitable. That was actually the case for awhile, as I could just rely on making smart SNG decisions every time the action came around to me. However, what I started to notice during my sessions is that I could not remember how any of my opponents were playing, which effectively limited the number of options available to me when deciding how to play against them.

Does that situation sound familiar? If it does, the good news is that there is a simple solution. If you play online poker to make money then you need to treat it like any other job you have. Business people that work at home are able to deny themselves the pleasures they have readily available at home such as TV and are able to focus on completing their work tasks because they know that will lead to money. Think of online poker the same way. When you’re playing online SNGs, you can’t afford to take your eyes off the game for too long, as single-table tournaments.

Turn off the television, keep your Internet browser closed, and use music to drown out any other audio distractions. Give yourself goals to accomplish while playing, such as writing down two to three notes on at least three different players at the game. These are simple tasks but will require you to pay close attention to the action, and having a mental goal can make the time playing long hours of online poker seem less tedious. Just remember that playing poker for money is just like a job, so treat it like one and give it your full attention every time.

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Rumors of Nevada Online Poker Regulation ‘Greatly Exaggerated’

Date: Wed, May 5, 2010

Poker players in Nevada are scratching their heads in confusion this week due to conflicting reports that state officials may or not be looking into a new online poker regulation bill. Two weeks ago, British stockbroker Daniel Stewart said in an interview that Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) was expected to introduce an all new poker bill to Congress within the next three months, only for Reid’s office to now step forward and say that those rumors are “greatly exaggerated.”

When asked for comment from Card Player magazine, a spokesperson for Sen. Reid’s office released the following statement: “Senator Reid has long held concerns about whether online gaming could be regulated effectively. Rumors of a forthcoming bill, however, are greatly exaggerated and stem from staff trying to get a thorough understanding of every facet of the issue, including the potential effect on Nevada.”

While many were disappointed to learn that the senator wasn’t aggressively pursuing the bill, his office at least confirmed that he was open-minded to the idea. Sen. Reid has built a reputation for staying fairly neutral when it comes to his opinion of online poker regulation, despite representing the biggest gambling state in the U.S. He has said in the past that he does not feel that online poker software is advanced enough to provide the protection needed to warrant full regulation.

Another rumor suggests that Reid’s supposed bill would only apply to online poker and leave out other gambling interests like casino games and sports betting. The American Gaming Association thinks that’s a good place to start however, saying that “If there are people in Congress who are concerned whether or not Internet gaming can be properly regulated to that standards that we do in Nevada and New Jersey and some of the other states, why not start with poker? Give it a shot, and that will be the proof in the pudding, whether or not it can be properly regulated.”

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Weekly SNG Tip: Going for First or Going Broke

Date: Tue, May 4, 2010

A common misunderstanding with many players that like to play SNG events is that as long as they make it into the money, which is normally the top three, they are doing well. The problem with this logic though is that unlike large-field tournaments that offer considerable profits for those that place in the final spots, SNG payouts really only add up if you’re winning the single-table tournament. Once you realize this, you’ll understand why so many SNG specialists stress that you only ever strive to win these SNG events, and never be content with just making it into the money.

Now this isn’t to say that you should play recklessly and gamble too much during the opening and middle rounds of a SNG, as that is just not good poker. You don’t need to always make it into the money with the chip lead (though it’s nice), but once you’re there you should not be willing to let yourself be blinded off in hopes of catching premium hands or waiting for the other players to bust each other. People that play with that mentality are willing to settle with a 3rd place finish and hopefully maybe a 2nd place another opponent gets knocked out. In reality though, you should be the one making the moves necessary to better your odds for a 1st place win.

Once you’re in the money, you are going to want to always be looking for ways to add chips to your stack. The less chips your opponents have, the more likely they are going to be forced to play marginal hands, allowing you to hopefully capitalize on that weakness. If you continue to play very tight when there are only two other players left for you to beat, they will pick on you continuously, steal your blinds and bet you out of pots. At this point you have lost control of the match and now are just hoping to get lucky with a great flop or some other uncommon situation.

Don’t ever consider 2nd place to be an acceptable finish. You’ve already won your buy-in back once you’re in the top three, now it’s time to go for the real profit. Pick your spots wisely and try and keep yourself in control of the game as much as possible.

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WSOP Tournament of Champions Front-runners Revealed

Date: Thu, Apr 29, 2010

The World Series of Poker decided to open up the selection process to the fans in regards to which poker pros will get a very exclusive seat at this year’s Tournament of Champions event. Of the 27 spots in the tournament, 20 of those positions will be decided through online voting in what basically boils down to the ultimate poker popularity contest. Harrah’s, who is running and supervising the progress of the poll, has released the names of the players that currently make up the top 20 in voters eyes, with few surprises showing up in the mix.

One thing that all of the front-runners have in common is that they tend to get the lions share of the media and marketing support, making them the most recognizable faces in the game, but not necessarily the most successfully players in all cases. There doesn’t appear to be a single name on the list that belongs to a player that tends to stay out of the limelight, though I would have to figure that some players are getting a lot of votes due to more recent success.

Five players don’t have to worry about getting enough votes, as five spots were pre-reserved for the last three Tournament of Champions winners (Mike Sexton, Mike Matusow and Annie Duke), and the current WSOP (Joe Cada) and WSOPE (Barry Shulman) champions. The remaining two spots in the tournament are being held for sponsor exemptions, and it’s likely that these will be given away through massive qualifier tournaments online.

The TOC isn’t just about increasing their popularity either, 1st place will take home a cool $500,000, needing only to survive three tables worth of opponents in the process. Voting ends midnight on June 15th, with more than 250,000 votes cast so far.

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Florida Gets Major Poker Law Adjustment

Date: Wed, Apr 28, 2010

In case you haven’t been paying attention, poker in Florida is somewhat of a joke. The state currently has a number of odd restrictions put in place that greatly hamper the games made available to the players, including one law that places a $100 max buy-in cap on all cash games. So yeah, that means that some Florida card rooms were running $5 - $10 no-limit hold’em games where the participants could only buy-in for 10 big blinds. The terrible restrictions have been driving players crazy for years, but it now appears that finally some relief may be in sight.

The Florida House approved a new deal this week that will be uncapped poker to the state, as long as the governor signs off on the bill, which by all signs appears to be a certainty. Other changes that the deal brings includes the right for the Seminole tribe to operate slot machines and host blackjack games at five of their seven casinos, as well as extend the operating hours of the poker rooms. The changes are expected to bring in an estimated $1 billion for the state and tribe over the next five years.

“This is a big contribution and a big commitment,” said Rep. Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton), one of the main proponents for the bill in the House. “It’s not estimated, it’s not, ‘Well, we might be able to achieve this.’ This is a guarantee.”

For those of us outside Florida it seems almost impossible that poker would thrive in any state where experienced and professional players couldn’t put up more than $100 every time they sat down at the table, but it was a harsh reality for Florida residents. Hopefully this deal gets ushered in as fast as possible so that they can save some money that was typically spent on trips to Atlantic City and Vegas to get some real card action.

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Let the Game Set Your Goals

Date: Wed, Sep 16, 2009

It is really easy as a poker player to get used to making a certain amount when you sit down at the poker table. For example, when I play 2/5 NL Hold’em I am used to profiting about $500 per session, so when I get into the game I have expectations that I need to make that much in profit. However, poker isn’t a game of certainties and no one should go into the game expecting to make any amount. Each game has different players, different cards, and a different set of circumstances that change the amount you can expect to attain from a game. For this reason, you can’t expect to double up every time you have a winning session, nor should you be content with that amount of profit.

There have been times when I’ve sat in a horrible game and I’m only showing $100 profit for the night. Instead of getting up and being content that I’ve made any profit at all, I’m thinking to myself, “If only I can catch a good hand and get up to $300 profit I’ll leave.” This is a big mistake on my part because I’m putting all the emphasis on the amount of money I want to win instead of the fabric of the game. Lets put this into real life perspective. Consider that I had been sitting at that horrible game for 8 hours, and I am showing $100 profit for the night. That means that I have made $12.50 an hour. If you are living in the United States where there are record high unemployment rates, and many people are forced to work for minimum wage then $100 in your pocket is nothing to scoff at.

If you are sitting in a bad game and are up a little bit, don’t be ashamed of a small win. It is ok to take your small win and go back the next day. The same is true if the cards just aren’t going your way.
Sometimes there are nights where it seems like you are always getting second best. If you are up a little bit in the game, take your win and run! There will always be another game and another day to play.

The same rule applies for winning nights as well. If you are on a really good game and are crushing the table you shouldn’t sell yourself short by just being happy with a double up. In these circumstances you want to maximize your profits and stick it out while the game is still good. If you set a goal before you ever sit on the table, you are missing out on easy money. When you start feeling like the game is going bad then get up. These are the sessions that will really spruce up your bankroll.

When playing poker as a living or playing to build a bankroll, these decisions are critical for the longevity of your position. It is a losing proposition to think, “I have to make this much today,” or “I have to make this much this week.” There are no guarantees in poker, so you shouldn’t set yourself up for failure by setting a predisposed goal when you sit down at the table. Let the conditions of the table and how you are playing decide when you should and shouldn’t get up from the table.

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Tip Of The Week - Odd Cash Outs

Date: Tue, Sep 15, 2009

It has been a long day of poker, and you’re up $236. You get ready to rack up your chips, but decide that you’re going to play the extra $36 because that money seems insignificant at the moment. If you lose the $36 it was no big deal, but if you get up to $300 it was well worth it. More often than not you will lose the $36 and cash out at $200. However, that extra $36 could have been used for gas money for the week. Over the course of a week, a month, or a year that extra $36 really adds up.

The other common mistake is that players will be up $295 and won’t get up until they get over $300. There is some strange thought process that makes us want to cash out at an even number. This thought process can get a player in trouble. It is kind of like running a marathon, when the end is in sight runners will start to sprint to the finish line, but they don’t realize they are still quite far from the finish line and wear themselves out right at the end. Then the runners that are pacing themselves end up finishing first. When you are sitting at $295 and trying to get to $300 you will have to invest a fair amount just to get to your $300 goal. You are so close, yet so far away that it is more profitable to just get up at the $295. More often than not, you will make up the $5 later in the week anyways.

I recently conducted an experiment to see how much money I would actually be up if I had just cashed out when I was ready to go instead of cashing out at an even amount. Over the course of a week these odd end cashes amounted to $277. At the end of the month this had accumulated to over $600. This extra money could be used to offset any losses, or it could be used to add to brankroll and living expenses.

If you are one of those players, like I am, who has trouble figuring out what percentage of my bankroll should go towards extra things, this is a good way to figure it out. If you are ready to cash out from the table and you have $274 in profit, take $200 and put it towards your bankroll or bills, and take the $74 to put towards your extra spending money. This is a great incentive to get you to get up from the table when you are ready to go, and it gives you a way to keep the things that you want from affecting your bankroll.

A lot of poker players are a little OCD about cashing out at an even number. A friend of mine has this problem and after realizing how much money he was giving away by not cashing out at an odd number he started stacking his chips in a way he wouldn’t be able to have an accurate count on his chips. He would have an idea of how much he had, but he wasn’t able to have a precise count by just looking at his chips. When he was ready to cash out of the game, he would just rack up and take off with his extra profit. After a year of doing this he was able to take that extra money from his cashouts and put it towards a new car.

The old adage, “A penny saved is a penny earned,” is definitely applicable in this situation. The difference is that $20 saved can potentially be $1,000 or more earned down the road. Try the experiment yourself and see if it works out for you. If you are having a losing week or month, you might be pleasantly surprised to see that the odd cash outs helped to offset your losses. If you are having a winning week or month, you might be delighted to have an extra $600 to buy something you’ve been wanting.

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Gus wins more than just poker

Date: Mon, Sep 14, 2009

Gus Hansen, the record three-time World Poker Tour open winner, can breathe a sigh of relief after a press release, issued by Safenames Ltd, confirmed that he has regained control over the website GusHansen.com.

The news comes after a long ownership battle between Safenames Ltd, a company that specializes in domain name disputes (acting for Gus Hansen), and Yevgen Kudashov, the man who previously owned GusHansen.com.

Kudashov apparently went to great lengths to convince the public that he was Gus Hansen, using images and other likenesses to do it. Safenames Ltd managed to prove that Kudashov had registered the domain name in bad faith and in doing so, infringed on Hansen’s personal name and common law mark – even though, at the time of filing, Hansen hadn’t actually registered a trademark on his own name.

Prudence Malinki, Head Counsel at Safenames Ltd, said following the decision: "We
are very pleased that Safenames was able to win this dispute for Mr. Hansen.
I believe that that this ruling will pave the way for other famous
individuals and celebrities to recover domain names registered to third
parties who are profiting from registering domains that contain their famous
personal names."

‘The Great Dane’ will be hoping that regaining control of GusHansen.com can boost his cash flow. He is reportedly $2.2 million in the red.

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An unlikely story

Date: Fri, Sep 11, 2009

Poker can throw up some incredible stories. As we all know, you don’t have to be athletic and you don’t have to be good looking to succeed – a bit like darts really.

But you do have to have a certain level of skill and determination to make it through to the finals of the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP). Twice!

So who was this mystery player called ‘yhcaep’ who won the stud event bracelet and pocketed a cool $33,000 in the process?

Was it a well-known poker player using a secret identity? Was it a prodigal talent trained by one of the poker hall-of-famers? Was it just a guy with an incredibly weird name?

No, none of the above. It was in fact a young lady named Peachy – yhcaep backwards. So call of the search party and take Steven Hawking off the case, the 27 year-old poker dealer from California has been found.

Peachy moved from the Philippines to America and took a job working the phones for a Bay Area casino, but it wasn’t long before she learned to deal cards.

Soon she was playing online in her spare time and for the day job, still working as a dealer at the casino tables.

After reaching two WCOOP finals, winning one, you’d be forgiven for thinking she’s been playing the game all her life – but think again.

"I didn't know any thing about poker but I went anyway. I learned all poker games and became a dealer three months later," said Peachy. "Soon after, I learned about online poker and I haven't stopped since then. I finished 5th at last year's WCOOP stud event. I liked how it felt so it kind of got me to prepare for this year's event."

Peachy now has her eye on a World Series of Poker bracelet and will use her spare time to prepare for the prestigious event.

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PokerStars Sponsors High Heels Poker Tour

Date: Thu, Sep 10, 2009

PokerStars.net has just signed on to be the official sponsor of the High Heels Poker Tour (HHPT). Since 2007, HHPT has been striving to empower women in the world of poker and provide a competitive environment for women to expand their knowledge and skills. The PokerStars.net sponsorship will allow the HHPT to expand their growing list of tournaments. In the past, there are only a handful of stops on the HHPT tour, but hopefully with the backing from PokerStars there HHPT will continue to expand their tournament schedule to include plenty of stops for women to compete in a comfortable environment. The poker tour will start off at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in New York and will sweep across the nation. There will be a range of low buy in events that will lead up to a $1,000 championship event that will commence at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January of 2010.

For a full list of HHPT’s tournament schedule please go to http://highheelspokertour.com/tournament-schedule.html.

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$40K Hold’em Tournament May Not Return for 2010 WSOP

Date: Wed, Sep 9, 2009

It’s unlikely that anyone reading this right now participated in the expensive yet prestigious $40,000 no-limit hold’em tournament that made it’s debut at the 2009 WSOP, and if you didn’t, chances are you won’t get another opportunity for another ten years. World Series of Poker Communications Director Seth Palansky has recently commented that while the $40K tournament was great and memorable, he doesn’t expect it to return in 2010.

“The $40K was a good event. It was a successful event. But it made sense, because it was the 40th-annual World Series of Poker,” Palansky told Card Player this week. “That buy-in amount or that event doesn’t really fit when you’re not in your 40th year.”

The tournament drew 201 elite poker players, who competed for a total prize package of $1.9 million and was considered by many to be the toughest event skill-wise of the whole 2009 WSOP. Players shouldn’t be too surprised at the removal of the event though, as when the tournament was first announced, it was made clear that we shouldn’t expect the $40K to become an annual event.

However, reactions have been mixed, with a number of pros wanting to see the event return for 2010, citing the interest the tournament created and how widely valued winning it was to the rest of the top players. “I think Harrah’s is making a mistake not to do it,” said Isaac Haxton, who finished runner-up to Vitaly Lunkin in the event this year, while collecting nearly $1.2 million. “I’m actually surprised they wouldn’t run it again, given how many players it got and how much rake they were able to charge.”

On the flip side, some big names are happy that the $40K apparently won’t be back, reasoning that there are just too many expensive buy-ins at the series already. “Some of the big players wanted to have it, but don’t you think it’s pretty damn big as it is?” said T.J. Cloutier, a six-time bracelet winner who did not play in the $40K event this year. “They have six or seven $10,000 tournaments, and a $50,000 (H.O.R.S.E.) tournament. I don’t think there is any need for it.”

Additional changes for the 2010 WSOP that have also been announced include the adding of about six new $1,000 events, potentially expanding the tournament into other rooms of the casino to allow for more entries, and a tournament schedule released a few months earlier than last year.

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iPhone Poker Application

Date: Tue, Sep 8, 2009

Poker Journal is a new application for the iPhone, and it combines functionality and convenience to give poker players a great tool for keeping accurate records. It allows players to track their hours, location, limits, and cash outs. Unlike other poker applications, it separates tournament play from cash play. After logging in sessions, you can view grafts which will allow players to see view their win/loss rates complete with filters.

Another great feature is that you can start logging your session as soon as you sit down with the “live game” feature. There are many times when I get up from a session and forget what time I got there, so that throws off my hourly rate. With the “live game” feature, it acts as a stop watch when you sit down, and when you get up you can input how much you cashed out for and stop the clock. It is a full proof way to make sure you get an accurate hourly rate.

The application also allows you to export your data to your own computer. You have the option to e-mail your data or export it to StatKing. Along with this, you are able to pick and choose what information you would like to export. This is a great way to have a back up of your poker sessions.

One of the most important parts of playing poker for a living is being able to keep good records of sessions. I’ve tried several methods from carrying around a notebook to using bookkeeping software to log my winning and losing sessions. After all these years of trying to find a convenient way to keep track of my wins and losses, I’ve finally found the perfect solution. Having a well rounded application on my iPhone allows me to keep accurate records at the tip of my fingers.

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