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Thursday, May 15. 2008Multi-table Poker TourneysThat stands for Multi-table Poker Tourneys, and this kind $20 Free of events really take a lot of time, that you should remember. Ordinarily, it would i-slots take three to four hours at the very least, and I've even attended one where I reached the Finals, and from Hour 1 to free slots the time I got "kicked out", it was something like SEVENTEEN HOURS, believe you me. I was so exhausted at the free casino games end of everything that my companion (who got eliminated barely 2 hours from the start) best payouts asked me if I wanted to be carried to my hotel suite. (I free casino slots declined the offer, just on pride alone). Online, it's the same thing usually, slot machine jackpots be prepared to spend so many hours facing the computer, and it would be a good Casino Games Software thing if your computer den is right beside the restroom. In this genre of competitions, realize that the best of the free on line slots best have to be lucky to be victors, and not just that, at the early goings of the competition, it would be free slot machine best not to take unnecessary chances unless one holds a really monstrous hand to battle it out. poker eventsThis is on poker events done at one's house, or to be more precise, house or not (it could be a giant free slots garage), if you are hosting your own NL Texas Holdem affair (tourney), then bear casino slot Jackpots these in mind. In moving poker players: when you have many tables in action, best paying Casino you have to maintain balance in the various tables. It would not do well to have nine at Table 1 while just 5 progressive jackpots at the other end of the room. In home tourneys made up of just slot play two tables, balance them when the difference is just two or three. If one has to be relocated, naturally, a person secret Garden slot has to move from the game with the biggest number to the game with the fewest gamblers. free on line slots It would ensure balance, as close to it as manageable. This is best casino games the crucial thing: you have to avoid presenting that (being moved) person a disadvantage or an edge in the process of transferring. best casino games Like, one disadvantage would be : moving someone when he has paid the BB, to the game free slots where he has to (at once) pay again for the same thing. (I've casino slots seen this happen to some people over the years, there was one guy who got $20 Free so angry he punched the host in the face, funny now when I recall it). Good News and Bad NewsWell, what can I say, video slots the guitarists' world's loss is poker's gain, and I am referring to David Plastik. life changing jackpots His surname may be 'plastik', but his poker play is surely not. At a very young age, he was unable sign up bonus to play guitar, since he is left-handed and naturally, all people around him free slot machine would teach him at the right-handed fashion. From there, he turned on to photography, frequenting rock concerts. He underwent -as per accounts- alcohol online casino games and drugs, but good thing, he did not end up the way Ungar did. David joined the casino slot games family enterprise, selling fabric. When 1997 came, he realized that he could play poker quite well, and he free offer managed to win serious money in the tourneys- that's the good news. Another good news, he put these monies slots on high-tech shares, but then, here's the bad news. The stocks went to the ground in 2000, i-slots so he lost his monies there. Another good news: courtesy of his poker skill, he still had a game slot buffer in terms of finances. Another bad news (for him and his fans)- he still has not new secret garden slot won a single WSOP braclet. But here are good news: myself included, there are a lot of people out there who respect new secret garden slot him more than one or two past WSOP CHAMPIONS who tarnished the great tradition of WSOP because of private deals/negotiations that were not adhered to. If you think you know whom I am referring to, good. That is good news, this time for me, for Free offers it means you've been reading my blogs for a long time now. poker action
Stand up, say excuse me, and take a recess from the poker action. That is one tip I've given to so many parties, and one that I would never stop giving, because it is so simple, yet so effective.
Effective from what: tilting that is. Unless you free slots have been playing poker at casinos and ring games for the past 20 years, this is vegas casino that or you own half a dozen WSOP bracelets, chances are, a tilt would Thisisvegas Casino defeat you in the most trying of times. Face it, emotions cannot be turned huge jackpots off, unless you are Spock's brother, in which case you are a Vulcan. slot machine games Anyway, when you are out of the game and taking a smoke break outside at the garden, then your temper would dissipate, but free online slot machine let me tell you this. The challenge is to actually stop and stand up, as the temptation Davincis gold Casino to seek revenge, or run after the losses, is so strong...and that, I say from experience. If you want to know free online slots the worst thing I've done in my whole life under the influence of free offer tilt: I turned the table upside down and that resulted in an awful casino slot games mess. Not to mention all the bruises and the black eye. Wednesday, January 16. 2008Ivey
Even in the world of poker pros, there are classes: the truly great, the merely great, the so-so, and those people who make me wonder truly how and why they are being labelled as a pro.
Well Phil Ivey is Phil Ivey, and I will let you categorize him, but this I can say, there are very few poker pros who hold the 3C's: meaning, under pressure in the heat of poker action, they remain COOL, COMPOSED, and COLLECTED. When you watch him play, you would be either impressed or awed by how he carries himself. You would get the feeling that there is nothing he misses (of course there is/are, he is still human after all), but let me tell you about the "Earphones Please" Poker After Dark television program that he graced (did you see that particular one?) Four out of the five opponents proved to be nasty (if you wish to use the word rude, you do it), and other pros would probably get up and leave, that or smash a chair onto the table to vent out his ire. Not Ivey, he sat there with his triple Cs, and he won that event...need I say more? Wednesday, November 14. 2007He Used Fake IDs Writing this one, I got reminded of a nephew who used to frequent bars, sometimes casinos, and other establishments that bar minors. If I remember right, he was 15 during those days, but he had an air in him that made him look so much older, plus, he used fake IDs to get in. God only knew where he got them, and his silence regarding his supplier was something worthy of the Mafia.Then, one day, his father really got fed up, and told him, "You stop doing this or I'll take away your car privilege". Well, it was obvious that his car was more important to him than being able to enter all those adult establishments, he turned into a saint the day after. Well, the pro this time is Tony G, and the G stands for Guoga. Even before the age of 21, Tony was entering the Vegas casinos via fake IDs, and it was not an easy sailing for him. He lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process. Slowly, he mastered his craft, and by year 2001, he was averaging close to 8 grand/monthly in the cash events. He may not be Mike the Mouth, but he is also recognized as a great "heckler", and this leads to many competitors making bad calls, to his advantage of course. Tuesday, October 16. 2007What a Name This Card Player Has When I was in junior high, I had a classmate with a surname of Saleeva. No big deal that, if only the bullies of the batch left him alone, but they did not. They took to calling him "Salay-va"...as in that thing from our mouths. The funny thing was, everybody started calling him that, and he even got used to it. (Before we graduated, I stopped calling him that, I finally came to my senses).Anyway, this poker pro may not have an ugly name, but it sure is weird. He is David Plastik, he began gambling professionally in the mid-90s. In 1997, he started joining the tourneys, and his winnings reached 580,000$ and 100 thousand of this, he clinched right in the first month of tourney-participation in many places. He has an emotional "brand" at the tables, when he wins, his joy is overflowing. However, his frustration overflows too when he is at the losing end of the equation. Outside poker, he likes sports and music, and guess what? He considered Rolling Stones as his favorite group- my son does too, but I don't. A bit of trivia as a closing shot: he used to sell pictures for Billboard, the magazine. Tuesday, September 4. 2007One Mysterious Poker Personality There are some poker pros who are as naked as a newborn baby, and by that I mean, what we see is what we get. However, Huck Seed is a very mysterious guy, or call enigmatic if "mysterious" is too strong a word for you. He stands 6'7" and I wonder why he did try basketball as a career, oh well, he probably hates getting shoved. At the poker wars though, his presence is both intimidating and thought-provoking. The stare is a blank and as I've heard from somebody, trying to look for tells on his face is like look for the Meaning of the Universe on a brick wall, a brick wall without graffiti that is. Also, he talks only when absolutely necessary, from what I've heard from people who have observed him up close and personal. But when it comes to the game itself, he may not be the best poker player in the world, but he is competent, as opposed to being just talented. One last thing, a trivia you may enjoy knowing, he once beat Hellmuth in a billiards game, winning $24,000 in the process. (Maybe one of these days he'll challenge Efren Reyes of the Phil). Tuesday, August 28. 2007Humans Versus Machine It (the theme) has been going on around us for a long, long time now. Think of Arnold Schwar's series (Terminator with those ugly frightening machines), Garry Kasparov's downfall to Deep Blue, and so on and so forth. Not too long ago, it happened at the poker scene, at Regency Vancouver. Ali Eslami and Laak competed in four sessions (Holdem) against Polaris. Hmm...what a name, the creators must have thought it was very original, for me, it sounds like something from a novel on the North Pole. Anyway, North Pole..ehr..Polaris, is a computer program built by the University of Alberta Computer Poker Research Group, and I have no doubt that this group is made up of experts worth their salt. The team leader of the group, said that the machine was strong enough to hold its own against our best, operative word here being "hold its own". It does not mean "could defeat", now...if you want the results...wait for my sequel. That merits its own piece, if you cannot wait, hey...it's a click away, just surf. (What I am waiting for is a Mike Caro Versus Machine, ha ha, Caro would not be able to use his dollar-burning antics for intimidation.) Thursday, August 23. 2007Holder of Five Bracelets at Such a Young Age This poker pro lives in Vegas, is married, and is not afraid to sit down at the high-stakes poker games. Phil Ivey has already proved his mettle when he held his own against the best sharks, like Doyle B, Larry Flynt and Chip Reese. Poker is not the only thing going for him though, he is fond of golf too. There were a lot of talk a long time ago, that when he was learning the ropes in this outdoor game, it seemed as if his game was hopeless. Well, I have never seen him play golf in person (or on TV)...SO I'd rather not comment on that. This I know though, whether he is good, mediocre or a pure hopeless at the green, he bets thousands and thousands of bucks in there.As far as poker is concerned though, mediocre player he is surely not. He was not yet 30 at the time that he had accumulated five WSOP bracelets. Not a record, but it puts him in a very rarefied field, trust me on that. Did you know this: that he got 3 of those within a single year? I do not know about you, but there is only one word for it, tenacious...eh...impressive is another one. Monday, June 25. 2007Max Pescatori Known as the "Italian Pirate," Max Pescatori believes that he was born to be a poker player. That was why he left his hometown in Italy and went all the way to the US just to ride the poker wagon. But, living in a foreign country was not easy for this poker champ because he didn't know how to speak English.In spite of this linguistic hindrance, Pescatori still joined in poker tourneys in America. Fortuantely enough, this guy met some proker professionals who taught him both the language and the game. Evelyn Ng, Marco Traniello, and Jennifer Harman were just among those people whom he met. The most important event in Pescatori's US poker life was when he met Valter Farina, the very first Italian who ever received a prestigious WSOP bracelet. Pescatori owed so much from this guy who taught him everything about the poker world in the US. Indeed, Pescatori's skills have improved and it was evident in the 2006 WSOP. In this event, the then novice Pescatori won first place and bagged $682,389 together with his first WSOP bracelet. That event was not the only competition where this champ won first place though. He also won in the 2003 World Poker Challenge, Grand Prix De Paris in the same year, 2004 Legends of Poker, and many others. Friday, June 15. 2007Jose Rosenkrantz Started out as a billiard player at age 15, Jose Rosenkrantz never thought that he would enter the world of poker. In fact because of his skills in billiards, Rosenkrantz became a local billiard champ in his hometown in Costa Rica. This game taught this guy two lessons: self-control and focus-- two lessons that he also applied when he became a poker player.In 1985, Rosenkrantz joined a home poker gang in Costa Rica. He along with his friend Humberto Brenes then started to expand the gang and created a poker club when more people joined. Although poker was not yet popular at that time, this poker club continued to grow. Since then, more members came and poker tourneys in the area began. As a poker player, the then novice Rosenkrantz proves that he is worthy to be called a poker champ. He competes in big-time poker tourneys such as First Costa Rican Classic, WSOP, and WPT. True enough, this guy always wins-- from being in top five to being number one. Until today, Rosenkrantz enjoys playing poker. Actually, even though he has his own business to run, a manufacturing company, he still does not miss any poker game. Wednesday, June 13. 2007John Gale No one can deny that England-born Gale is among the best players of poker. Let us begin with this guy's poker history. Like other kids, Gale has been playing poker since he was a young boy. Nobody knows if he was influenced by his family or his friends. But this issue does not matter anymore because Gale did not take poker seriously then. Instead, he pursued his education and became a management consultant. But like other poker players who thought that a good career was everything, Gale realized that he wanted to play poker and leave his job. In spite of his wife's disagreement, Gale still continued to play satellite poker. Until one day, he got a chance to join in a live tournament. He won in this tournament and before he knew it, he was in the WSOP and WPT. Since then, Gale has become a well-known poker player who displays poker intelligence and always brings a Tictac and a box of red Marlboro in the poker table. Indeed, a person born to be among the poker masters will always find his way back to poker no matter where he goes; just like what happened to Gale. Tuesday, June 5. 2007Scotty Nguyen His name has been heard in many poker news and tourneys but only a few people know who this man really is. Scotty Nguyen, that player from Vitenam, has been a poker champion since 1991. Until today, this man is considered as among the best poker players in the world and he has joined in many poker tournaments including WPT, WSOP, the Hall of Fame Poker Classic, the Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament, and more.But aside from his professional poker life, what's up with Scotty Nguyen? This man is well-loved in the poker table not only because he is a good player but also he is a good person. Or as poker critics say, he is a charismatic man. In fact, his famous line proves his personality: "You call this one and it's all over, baby." Nguyen told this line to his heads-up rival during the 29th WSOP in 1998 in which he won first place. Scotty Nguyen has been a poker enthusiast since he was a kid. Actually, he was expelled from school because of poker. Unlike other students, Scotty spent more hours on poker tables than in the classroom. In spite of all the challenges that came his way, Scotty still found himself alive and kicking on the poker table. Friday, June 1. 2007The Knife True to his title, "The Knife," Martin de Knijff can cut the poker lives of his opponents at the table. One instance when he showed no mercy was when he won the biggest prize ever written in the poker history. The Knife pocketed more than $2 million when he won first place in the WPT No Limit Hold'em Championship, which was held at the Bellagio Five-Star Hotel.The WPT competition, as we all know, is among the prestigious poker tournaments in the world. It is composed of more than hundreds of players from different countries. Players of this competition join in online or sattelite tourneys first before they can join in any live poker game. From the hundreds of players, only 10 players or more will be eligible for the final round. Then the 10 players will be reduced to five until the competition reaches the heads-up round where only two players are left to vie for the money. With the many challenges that players overcome in the WPT, The Knife has simply proven that he is the best. Today, de Knijff still remains as among the poker masters. But aside from being one, he is also busy being a father to his only son, Robin. He is also a golf player and a magazine writer. So if you don't find this champ on the poker table, you know where to find him. Monday, May 28. 2007Simon Trumper Simon Trumper, also popular by the name of Aces, has been inclined to poker since he was a kid. But like other kids who need to go to school, Trumper finished his studies. After college, this man ventured in business and successfully put up his own drainage company. But at that age when he was supposed to be happy for being young and rich, he just felt otherwise. Trumper knew that there was something missing in his life. Little did he know that he was not looking for someone to settle life with but for a casino game that would change his life in a blast.When he got an opportunity to join a poker game in Berkshire, he didn't expect that he would be attached to this game. However, since then Trumper began joining more poker tourneys around Europe. This poker champ became popular in this continent and even became more famous when he joined in the "Late Night Poker," a local European poker show. In 2005, Trumper's poker skills brought him to Las Vegas to compete in the World Series of Poker against famous pros including Barry Greenstein and Erik Seidel. Though he didn't win the first prize, he brought home the 5th place with $93,060. Today, Trumper is hailed as the 2nd European poker master and the 4th best poker player in America. Friday, May 18. 2007Diego Cordovez This California-based poker buff has won several international poker tourneys because of his love and passion for the game. Diego Cordovez, popularly known as "D Train" among fellow poker players, began his love affair with poker at a very young age. From then on, he never stopped honing his poker skills that have won him a total of more than half a million bucks. This poker titan is also known for his dynamic poker plays that have caught the attention of other professional poker players around the globe.As a current CEO of an online casino company, Diego Cordovez is living a dream -- doing what you like best while earning lots of money. As part of his job, he usually spends a lot of time playing in online poker rooms and in several casino places to further perfect his tactics and strategies. Through many years of playing poker, he has developed a complete understanding of how and why a poker player makes his move. His unique perception of a poker buff's psyche is probably his greatest tool, aside from his technical skills, in beating other poker champs. Thursday, May 10. 2007Chip Reese When I think of professional poker players who have definitely made their mark in the exciting world of gambling and sports, the name that first comes into my mind is none other than Chip Reese. This guy is probably the most amazing poker player I have ever seen. He may not be the youngest and the freshest face in the crazy world of gambling but his age definitely tells a lot about his past experiences as a successful poker player. He started out as a professional gambler during the seventies and was a participant in several poker tourneys around the world. This Las Vegas-based poker titan was originally from Ohio and was a former student of an Ivy League school. He was planning to become a lawyer when an early break in Las Vegas showed him another path. His poker plays, especially during high-limit games, are definitely worth watching since you can learn a lot from them.Some champion poker players come and go but Chip Reese is definitely here to stay as he continues to amaze fans and fellow players with his spectacular poker skills. Wednesday, May 2. 2007Devilfish David Ulliott may not be as popular with the amateur crowd as Phil Hellmuth is, but old hands at the multiple forms of the old poker game will still be able to recognize the name. If they don't recognize the name, they can sure recognize the "devilfish" nickname.Dave can easily come across as one of the European poker circuit's cockiest players, even though he holds a day job as a humble British jeweler. The rings on his fingers are probably of his own making, though there's no confirmation or denial to have come from him about that. Dave has quite a bit of experience under his belt, having started playing at the tender age of 16. The first time he stepped into the tournament circuit was when he made an impact, taking down Men Nguyen and earning his infamous nickname. Of course, his cocky and confident demeanor is perfectly understandable when one considers the level of talent he has. As one of the best players to emerge from the UK in recent years, he's taking the poker world by storm. He hasn't had much time to frequent the US-based tournaments lately, though I've heard rumors that plans are underway to change that. Look out for this guy when he finally bashes his way into the US pro tourneys. Tuesday, April 17. 2007Miami John "Miami" John Cernuto, at the moment, is a name that new players are unfamiliar with. However, that lack of familiarity is perfect for a player trying to hide his fearsome table skills. Cernuto, credited as being among the world's deadliest Omaha players, is a potent force that should be feared when faced at a poker table. As I mentioned, he's particularly dangerous when given a round of Omaha, having more top finishes than any other player in history for that particular variant.Cernuto has a reputation for being a tough player, ready and willing to bet every last chip he has at a moment's notice. That, when combined with his already high level of talent, has earned him the respect of the players that he's faced at the felt. He has managed to win three different WSOP events, though he is among the many qualified players to have never actually won the main event. Among his many achievements was a 2003 first-place victory in the Paradise Poker Heads Up Poker Championship. In that particular tournament, he defeated more famous players like Carlos Mortensen, Phill Hellmuth, and Scotty Nguyen. While he's supposedly in no hurry to win a main event bracelet, the players who have played him before are sure he's going to win one eventually. Thursday, April 5. 2007Strip Poker Champ There are already quite a lot of champion poker players that I have featured in this site. They have different personalities, have different poker stories, and even came from different races. What will then make the next person distinct from the others? Let's take the case of Jon Young, a 32-year-old freelance artist and writer who won the top title in the 2006 World Strip Poker Championship. Without any mentor or comprehensive training in playing poker, he joined the competition only to enjoy and have fun. Before joining, he did not practice nor plan any strategy. Heck, he did not even think that he will win. When he got to Cafe Royal in London, the place where the poker strip was held, he was surprised to see a tournament without a fiercely competitive ambiance. Before officially starting the tournament, he was among the players who took of their clothes and were left with only a few items for cover; given that they were vying for a strip poker title, they can use their remaining clothes to obtain additional chips so that they can still continue with the game. After hours of clothes-swapping, Young turned out to be the champion. When he was asked if he'll play strip poker again, he answered yes right away, probably so that he can rightly defend his title. Tuesday, April 3. 2007Tuan Le Despite his name being Tuan Le, this particular player was actually born in the artistic capital of the world, Paris. Tuan Le is just another in a long list of new names in the poker scene, though he's rapidly becoming a candidate for the short list of truly skilled poker players. After being mentored by the great Barry Greenstein, you're sort of expected to come out with an incredible degree of skill. Fortunately, Tuan Le has come a long way since he started out and he's shown that he's a worthy student.He hasn't made his mark on the tournament circuit yet, but he's going to get to that point eventually. So far, he has only managed to grab three significant victories in the World Poker Tour, though WSOP success has eluded him. However, he's been sharpening his skills recently and he's planning on getting to "that level" very soon. He credits Greenstein's book, "Ace on the River," as the source of the bulk of his strategy. However, he's gotten around to adding new tricks to his line-up, as well as removing the tips from the book that don't work well for his style of play. Given time and experience, I'm sure Tuan Le would be able to give even veteran poker players a run for their money. Friday, March 30. 2007Rusty Mandap Some people think that talented poker players are all the same, that the personalities in that world are a dime a dozen. In reality, however, each of them is different from everyone else. Each player has a distinct style, personality, and demeanor on and off the table. Some are mean and callous, every bit as rough-edged in life as they are on the tables. Others offer a contrast, being nice and personable once the hands are over with and the tables are cleared. The man known as Rusty Mandap falls neatly into that latter category of player.An Omaha poker player by preference, Mandap is known among poker players for being among the nicer, more approachable folks to have ever graced poker competition in recent years. A friendly and pleasant person, he's a regular participant in various small-scale competitions across the general Los Angeles county area, as well as director of tournaments at the Hawaiian Gardens casino. A close friend of fellow poker player Shirley Rosario, the two have been known to joke about "trading victories" in the local tournaments, mainly because it seems that one or the other always gets to the final tables. Friday, March 23. 2007The Sting In this day and age, there are very few true enigmas among the famous personalities of the poker world. The media exposure and the Internet have conspired to make the biographies of poker players as public as possible. However, more than a few of them have managed to hold on to their private details, forcing websites and fans to focus more on their game. One such name is the Vietnamese player that has been dubbed "The Sting," Minh Ly.Minh has become a definite figure in the so-called "big game" table at Bellagio Casino, where he solidified his reputation as one of the game's biggest and most frequent high-rollers. His preference for the high-risk games and tournaments seem to reflect a "big risk, big profit" mentality to him. That sense of recklessness with his bankroll is tempered by his high level of skill at the felt, however. Minh is considered to be among the best players today by his peers, even if the media hasn't touched upon him quite yet. Minh, despite his lack of a "public image," is ranked among the richest poker players alive. His professional poker winnings, as of last year, run into an estimated amount of...$2,300,000. Of course, that figure is only going to go higher, as he plans to compete in the WSOP, World Poker Tour, and Doyle Brunson's North American Poker Championship this year. If he manages to finish with cash, that won't surprise me in the least. Thursday, March 22. 2007Gold Indeed
Naming the greatest poker player of all time is a difficult task, as there are so many names to choose from. The process of naming the best has sometimes been described as being as impossible as predicting a roulette wheel. However, there are a number of players (both new and old) that are strong candidates for the title due to exceptional achievements in the game. One such player's name is Jamie Gold.
Gold, contrary to what you might expect, did not enter this world playing poker. He actually began work as something that most people tend to underestimate. Gold began as the talent agent for some of Hollywood's current crop of celebrities, including "Sex and the City" star Kristin Davis, "Charlie's Angels" girl Lucy Liu, and comedian Jimmy Fallon. Gold made his poker debut at the main event of WSOP 2006, where he pulled off something that can easily be considered incredible. At the finals, after establishing himself as a legitimate competitor, he sat with a few of the finest players in the game. Using his experience as an agent, he got a feel for the competition and played the game with one of the grandest bluffs the tournaments has ever seen! Eventually, that bluff knocked out all seven of his competitors and earned him a WSOP bracelet on his first tournament. Jamie Gold's victory also gave him the largest WSOP jackpot prize yet. |
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Poker ArticlesStill a Battle of the Sexes - Part 2
Thursday, December 13 2007 Part One: Still a Battle of the Sexes Monday, December 10 2007 Players with the X-Factor Thursday, December 6 2007 A Warrior Named Lucy Monday, December 3 2007 A Warrior Named Vanessa Thursday, November 29 2007 He Used Fake IDs Wednesday, November 14 2007 Coren Reigns at EPT Thursday, November 8 2007 A Simul Master Tuesday, November 6 2007 Pictures and a Book Wednesday, October 31 2007 It is Clonie for Today Monday, October 29 2007 |
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