2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Sixteen: Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys

On Day 16 of the 39th annual World Series of Poker, Event 28 will kick off, the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys event, along with Event 27, the $1,500 No Limit Holdem event. These two events are going to be near polar opposites due to a combination of factors, mostly surrounding the kinds of players that they will draw. No Limit Holdem has become the everyman game of poker, with average amateur players taking a shot at the brass ring and scoring more often, it seems, than the seasoned pros.

2008 WSOP Diary, June 8: Ladies Event Starts, Events 9 and 10 Finish

Anyone who remembers the Saturday Nigh Live character Leon Phelps (The Ladies Man), knows that Mr. Phelps would have gone into synaptic shock today if he saw the parade of poker's finest female players taking their seats for the WSOP Ladies event. This particular tournament has become a popular tradition that is over three decades long. While an event is exclusive to the XX chromosome set, the poker action is of a quality that would make the best male players underdogs to reach the final table.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Thirty Two: $1,500 No Limit Holdem

Today is Day 32 of the 2008 World Series of Poker, and one $1,500 No Limit Holdem event will kick off while another $1,500 No Limit Holdem event will wrap up and declare a victor. We are more interested in projecting the winner at this point of the wrap up game since we don't know yet who will sign up to play in the other. The chip leaders in the Event 49 - $1,500 NLHE - include a couple of pros, which might seem counter to what we said in previous WSOP Forecasts that pros would avoid these small NLHE events. Among the chip leaders is young JC Tran, a player that was up and coming a few years ago and arrived at some point last year, when he won a World Poker Tour event.

2008 WSOP Event 9 Winner Rep Porter

The final table of Event #9 ($1,500 No Limit Holdem Six-Handed), was slow and clumsy and then suddenly, unexpectedly climaxed and the whole thing was over. There are a lot of women who will say this description also accurately portrays their love lives, but in this case the words fit how Event #9 finished up. In a lot of cases final tables are fast and furious affairs with eliminations coming at a rapid pace. In Event # 9 it took over two hundred hands to get the field from six to three.

New Poker Parlor in Phoenix

Southern Arizona has poker rooms in operation that the state says are illegal but their owner, a retried judge, says are not. Harold Lee of Tombstone is not only continuing to operate the poker rooms in defiance of the State's wishes but plans on opening another poker parlor in Phoenix as well as in Tucson. Lee's argument for the legality of his operation is the distinction between poker and other forms of gambling: he says poker is based on skill while the others are primarily based on luck...

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Thirty One: $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Final Table

Today the final 8 players will try to win the second most coveted poker prize of the WSOP: the gold bracelet that signifies a victory in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event. Event 45, the "World Championship of H.O.R.S.E." as it is known, may come second overall in desirability for the average poker player, but for many pro players it is number one. Our prediction was Andy Bloch. Here's why. At the start of the season we said Andy was going to do well in every $10,000 event he played in, and so far he's done very well. He made it to 2nd in the Pot Limit event and pulled down over $250,000, and 7th in the Limit event and picked up over $80,000. In the $5,000 mixed event he made it to 16th.

Swedish Government Turns Down International Poker

The Swedish Government has declined the option for an international poker network that would be in direct competition with the government run Svenska Spel. The government's stance is based on the idea that if they put together players at the state run site, it would guarantee larger prize pools and keep players from playing at online places that are "less socially responsible." While the decision sounds final it will be up for review in 18 months and could be overturned. The decision was based on a recommendation that came from the Swedish National Institute of Public Health. Related Articles: House Committee to look at poker bill Presidential candidates rated by Poker Players Alliance...

New Poker Book on Winning Poker Tournaments

According to a recent press release, a new poker book is out just in time to help the hopeful win a tournament at the World Series of Poker, going on now in Las Vegas. The book, "Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time, Volume 1" is from Dimat Enterprises, Inc and was penned by three top poker pros: Eric Lynch, Jon Turner, and Jon Van Fleet. According to the press release, the first book in the series will look at the beginning and mid way stages of poker tournament play...

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Thirty: Who Will Win Event 49?

Today is not only Day 30 of the 39th annual World Series of Poker, it is also the kick off day for Event 49 - No Limit Holdem. This $1,500 buy in event is going to go under the radar for most people for a number of reasons. First, there are bigger price tag events, and more interesting game types (for many) going on all around it. But we shouldn't ignore this - or any - World Series of Poker event for a few reasons. First, any bracelet is a hard won victory. Sure, luck plays a part, but that is the case for every event.

2008 WSOP Event 41 Winner Frank Gary

Nick Binger had the sort of final table performance that just about every poker player dreams of. He was unstoppable, of the nine players that started the day, he was personally responsible for sending six of them to the rail. Yes it was an impressive run, the sort that allows writers to break out the really good adjectives like "overpowering", "amazing", and "dominating". When it got down to three-handed play, it all went suddenly wrong and we had to start thinking of other words to use like "bewildered", "stunned", and "choke".

2008 WSOP Event 40 Winner John Phan

John Phan added a World Series of Poker bracelet to his resume when he was crowned the Event #29 Champion. Either he thought that having only one wrist decorated with WSOP gold threw off his personal aesthetic symmetry, or the weight of the jewelry was making him list too much to one side is unclear, but he felt the need to quickly add another one to his collection. About one week and eleven events later, Mr. Phan added some balance to his life by strapping the Event #40 bracelet around the other wrist.

Boxer to Dodge Cards as Well as Blows

Following the footsteps of his fellow sports star Shane Warne, boxer Jeff Fenech is about to try a less physical - but no less challenging - activity, playing in the Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker. Coming off of the recent radical victory versus Azumah Nelson - a boxer he has spent 17 years trying to beat - Fenech is going to try his hand at a more sedate game, but one he can't win through strength alone. Fenech is a former three-time world boxing champion. Related Articles: Poker tourney stops Shane Warne Cricketer retires for poker...

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Twenty Eight: $5,000 No Limit Holdem Six Handed

Today is Day 28 of the 39th annual World Series of Poker and once again two events are beginning today. Event 47, the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud High-Low and Event 46, the $5,000 No Limit Holdem Six Handed. The short handed game, or six handed as they call it at the World Series of Poker, is always an interesting game. Because there are fewer players at the table, it opens up the range of beginning hands - this allows for more action, which is appealing to amateur players who aren't necessarily used to patience required for other types of Holdem games.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Twenty Nine: $1000 Holdem w/Rebuys

Today is Day 29 of the 2008 WSOP and yet another No Limit Holdem game get started today. What we are going to look at, however, is the end of Event 44, the $1000 Holdem w/ Rebuys event. An event like this that utilizes rebuys, goes through a number of different stages. Any poker tournament will go through different stages but one with rebuys and add-ons has a little extra. The beginning stages of the tournament are typically marked with lots of action, lots of all in moves, and of course many players buy back in after they bust out.

2008 WSOP Diary, June 25: Seniors Event Finished

Even in a Seniors event where someone can just look at the tables and see the people who are the foundation that the modern poker movement is built upon, new faces here can sometimes show up and have their first moment in the WSOP sun. Dan LaCourse is one of these late bloomers. During Day 2 of Event 42 Dan took control of this tournament, and didn't stop until he was strapping a World Series of Poker World Championship bracelet around his wrist. Considering the fact that he was facing off against 2,218 opponents, a new WSOP record for this event, nobody can say his road was easy.

2008 WSOP Event 36 Winner Jesper Hougaard

The story of Event #36 could be written with the simple words that Jesper Hougaard started the day with the chip lead, and that is also how the day ended. Technically this would be accurate, and leaving it as such would save a lot of computer ink, but there were a few more things that happened during this event than one man devouring the competition like a Jurassic Park T-Rex eating a lawyer. At the start players were almost flying from the table at fevered pitch. During the early goings a player was eliminated on an average of about every twelve hands.

2008 WSOP Event 34 Winner Layne Flack

Anybody who doesn't think that Layne Flack is one of the best poker players on the planet probably also believe that Tiger Woods is just an okay golfer with a good upside. Since 1999 Mr. Flack has been as dominant in the sport of poker as just about anyone else that can be imagined. At the end of Event #34 he was the person draping a World Series of Poker bracelet around his wrist. That makes a total of six since 1999. By way of comparison, Phil Hellmuth has won five since that time, Johnny Chan has won five, Erik Seidel has scored 4, and Doyle Brunson has claimed 2.

2008 WSOP Event 37 Winner David Benyamine

During this year's World Series of Poker we have seen a couple of people who held the tag "The best player to never win a bracelet" finally shed that particular legacy. Most notable among these people was Erick Lindgren who looked like somebody had kicked a three ton weight off his back after he raised his well earned WSOP bracelet. Unfortunately, that weight fell squarely on David Benyamine who had to be wondering when, after making three final tables this year, his time would come. Well David's weight would not be that long, it turns out that 37 was his lucky number. In a "come from behind" win, David claimed the Event #37 championship.

2008 WSOP Diary, June 24: Two Bracelets in One Year for John Phan

One more day down and two more bracelets have been awarded. Midnight on West Coast time feels a whole lot different when your personal biological clock is in sync with a clock set to Eastern Standard Time, but John Phan probably would not have cared if it was midnight in Vegas or seven o'clock in Bulgaria, he was just ecstatic to come away with the victory at Event #40 and add a second WSOP bracelet to his trophy case. This has been a good week for John seeing as the first bracelet was added to his resume less than seven days ago. Some people wait an entire career just for a shot at one piece of WSOP jewelry, John Phan takes down two in less than a week. Now that's impressive.

2008 WSOP Event 39 Winner David Woo

Day 2 of Event #39 was stamina testing, life-force draining grind that left Thom Werthmann with a 345,000 chip lead over his nearest competitor. Considering the fact that he started the day with a nice head start, was the only one at the table who had a World Series of Poker bracelet on his wrist, and very few of his opponents had even cashed in a WSOP event before, this was a tailor made situation for him to get a piece of jewelry for his other wrist. Of course, before any of friends can pop the champagne to celebrate his victory, they had best remember the old adage about the best laid plans of mice and men.

Being the Loudmouth

Mike "The Mouth" Matusow has won a total of three World Series of Poker bracelets and has been eliminated short of sealing the deal in big contests so often he may as well invest in a bridesmaid dress. While much of what he has done at the poker table is impressive, his bracelets are not the first thing that comes to mind when the topic of "The Mouth" comes up. It is his wild antics and ever present haranguing of opponents during the game. This all well and good if your play can back-up the words. Of course, when most of the time somebody is smacked down in mid-sentence while doing a running commentary about their own greatness, it tends to be more pathetic than anything else.

2008 WSOP Event 38 Winner Davidi Kitai

The final table of Event #38 was one of those affairs where the casual fan probably would have benefited from the players having their names on the back of their shirts like they do in football or hockey. When it comes to "star power" this table was seriously lacking. Thankfully poker is less about the personalities and more about people who know how to play the game. In that particular case, this table was loaded. Davidi Kitai started the day in the middle of the pack but that was a temporary situation at best. While he did not score any of the early eliminations, he still won a number of pots, and was quietly building his war chest while Chris Bell drove most of the final table's higher profile action.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Twenty Seven: The Big, Big One

Today is Day 27 of the 39th annual World Series of Poker, and it is also the Big Day. Not that Big Day - when the Main Event starts - but the other one. This is the day that the $50k World Championship H.O.R.S.E. begins, and all eyes will be on those tables. Except, that is, those over at Event 44. Not only is today the start of the big H.O.R.S.E. it is also the start of the $1,000 No Limit Holdem with Rebuys. Now, it may seem these events are worlds apart - and they are - but each is going to draw a lot of attention for different reasons.

2008 WSOP Event 11 Winner Phil Tom

Connor McCloud of the Clan McCloud from the film Highlander, had the right idea when he insisted "There can be only one". Connor would probably do alright if he put down his sword and picked up a deck of cards. When Philip Tom usually finds himself at his best during a World Series of Poker tournament, he is generally surrounded by ten or twenty other people who are also doing well enough to finish in the money. Before today, Philip's best WSOP finish was in the 22nd spot.

Poker Tourney with Fort Sill Apaches

The Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Okalahoma held a poker event at their southern New Mexico casino, but the goal of the tournament was more than just offering poker players a chance to do what they love best. The event was held as a way to force a decision on the legality of gambling in the area, according to reports. The invitation only tournament offered up a $10,000 prize, and the casino says they will continue to hold tournaments every week, actually hoping the National Indian Gambling Commission will use this as a reason to shut them down...

2008 WSOP Diary, June 22: David Benyamine Takes Down His First WSOP Championship

There was one constant sound at the final table of Event #37 ($10,000 Omaha Hi-Low Championship). It was the sound of Mike "The Mouth" Matusow giving his opinion on everything from what potential cards his opponents were holding to folk remedies for post nasal drip. There were a number of people eliminated from this tournament ahead of Mike, and a number of them looked like they pulled their own plug just to get away from the sound of Matusow's voice. To his credit, Mike had a chance to back his big talk up with a win; especially when he tripled up on one of the final table's first hands.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Twenty Six: Pot Limit Omaha High Low Split 8 or Better

Today is Day 26 of the 39th annual World Series of Poker, cranking down the days to the Main Event in a couple of weeks, and there is only one event kicking off today: Event 43 Pot Limit Omaha High-Low Split 8 or Better. Wait, didn't David Benyamine just win this event? Close, but no. Benyamine won the World Championship event with the $10k buy in just a day or so ago - and it was Omaha High Low Split 8 or Better, but this is a different event. The fact they have this event along with the other tells us something about the state of poker in general, and the WSOP in particular.

2008 WSOP Event 32 Winner Jose Luis Velador

Most of the time a World Series of Poker final table is a dramatic back and forth battle where chip leaders aren't chip leaders for very long, and the underdog has as much chance as the favorite. Event #32 was not one of these tournaments. From the moment Jose Luis Velador sat down at the final table it was sort of like watching somebody with a shot gun taking out a room full of people armed with only pop tarts and foul language. This was the sort of rare domination of the table that only happens once or twice during a WSOP season.

2008 WSOP Diary, June 20: Sebastian Ruthenberg Beats Ferguson to Win Bracelet

Last year at the World Series of Poker there was a youth movement like the sport has never seen. Twice during the WSOP the record for the "youngest person to ever win a bracelet" was broken. This year the pendulum has swung back in the direction of the established professionals. New United States regulations on internet gaming seem to be a factor in the resurgence of the more "seasoned" players. In 2007 you couldn't swing a dead chicken in the poker room of the Rio without hitting a poker pro who was too young to shave. That has been lacking at the WSOP this year.

2008 WSOP Event 31 Winner Dario Minieri

Dario Minieri resembles a hobbit that has been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Much of this isn't his fault. He probably picked up the metabolism of humming from one, or both of his parents. And who knew that his favorite football squad, Associazione Sportiva Roma, would have the same colors as Mr. Potter's Gryffindor house. Of course if he had a few more hot fudge sundaes and stopped wearing that gold and burgundy scarf wherever he went, perhaps he would be taken a bit more seriously. Of course people looking at his relatively silly outer vestments and underestimating him might be part of a master plan.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Twenty Five: Seniors Event

Today is the 25th day of the 2008 World Series of Poker, and finally a chance has come for the amateur players to gain a little ground. The Seniors Event starts today! Event 42, the Seniors No Limit "World Championship" to be precise. The $1,000 price tag brings the chance to be a world champion on the cheap. There certainly isn't anything wrong with having a discounted event at the WSOP - it gives players who otherwise wouldn't have much of a chance to play in the biggest poker game of the year - or one of them, anyway.

2008 WSOP Event 24 Winner Max Pescatori

Max "The Italian Pirate" Pescatori shivers the timbers of his final table opponents on the way to his second World Series of Poker bracelet. This final table was no cake walk for the Milan native. He faced some pretty stiff competition on his way to this championship. Not only was he facing proven cash game sharks like Minh Ly, there was a five time bracelet winner in the mix: Allen Cunningham. Eventually they all wound up walking the plank, and Max was the only one left at the helm.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Twenty Four: Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Low Ball

Today is Day 24 of the 39th annual World Series of Poker, and the pros won't let up the pressure. It is almost like a feeding frenzy out there in the Amazon poker room at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino, and the pros are the sharks. Layne Flack has recently joined the ranks of pros adding to their jewelry, and Mike Matusow or Ram Vaswani is about to join him. Today two events kick off, both new to this year's WSOP. Event 40 is a $2,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Low Ball event, and Event 41 is a $1,500 Mixed Holdem event.

2008 WSOP Diary, June 11: Mike Matusow Wins His Third Bracelet

Event #18 ($5,000 No Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw) was like watching a poker version of the old show Battle of the Network Stars. This wasn't because the final table contestants had to battle in the tug of war against Lou Ferrigno, but rather because everyone at the final table was a recognizable celebrity in the sport of poker. The last seven people left to battle for the championship were Erick Lindgren (who has already won a bracelet this year), David Benyamine, Tony G, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, Jeffrey Lisandro, and Tom Schneider.

Poker and Golf Mix on CBS

It may not seem like it at first, but the World Series of Golf has a lot more in common with poker than the name and the fact that a large percentage of the players are poker pros. The series started last year as a result of the passion many poker pros have for the game of golf. With the WSOG amateur players have a chance to play side by side with some of the greats of the game, much like in the World Series of Poker, currently playing in Las Vegas...

2008 WSOP Diary, June 18: Dario Minieri Wins His First WSOP Gold

Not much happened in way of championships, the pace has slowed up a tad now that we are on the downhill side of this year's World Series of Poker. The only bracelet that was handed out today was to some kid who looks like a character from a Harry Potter book. Dario Minieri was grinning like the proverbial cat that made the canary his breakfast and was decked out in his trademark scarf. In order to win Event #31 ($2,500 No Limit Holdem Six-Handed) he had to go through Seth Fischer for the eventual championship.

2008 WSOP Event 13 Winner Duncan Bell

If your nickname is "Lucky", "Money Bags", or "Ratchet Thunderstud" chances are life is working out pretty well for you. If you happen to sport the moniker of "Pumper" you are probably working in the adult film industry or a gas station; either way you probably should have taken more college courses. In most cases, the "Pumpers" of the world probably feel like the cosmos has dumped a big bushel of lemons on their head. In the case of Duncan "Pumper" Bell he has found his niche and has just made $666,697 worth of lemonade.

2008 WSOP Event 25 Winner Kenny Tran

Kenny Tran is a dreadful man; but this commentary does not apply to his personal life, where he is probably the sort of guy you would want to hang out with and have a beer, but when you play against him, the dreadful part of him comes out. Oddly enough, he would probably be flattered by this description of how he plays the game. Kenny is the new Event #25 (10,000 Heads-Up No Limit World Championship) World Champion. This bracelet means that he is currently the best in the world when it comes to playing poker one-on-one.

Using the Check/Raise to Modify Behavior

Poker is a very big game, a simple one, but there is a whole world of play that goes beyond a Full House beating a pair of fours. One of the most important parts of the game is that nobody gets amnesia after a hand is done. They will remember how you played and adjust their behavior in response to the things you do. Those players who do forget what has happened hand to hand should probably go get their hippocampus checked. Short term memory loss and poker do not go well together at all.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Twenty Two: Can Flack Hack?

Layne Flack is one of the wild ones in the poker world. He always has a smile half cocked and ready to fire, and behind his penetrating gaze his brain is always working. Flack's mind works out poker problems so well that there is plenty of horsepower left over for yakking it up with the other players at the table, which could rattle a few of the less seasoned players. Why is this relevant? Because Flack might very well be at the final table of today's wrap up of Event 34 - $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys.

2008 WSOP Event 23 Winner Blair Hinkle

The exciting bit with the World Series of Poker is that a lot of events, well most events, have a final table that is like a roller coaster. Chip leaders often are not chip leaders for very long, and occasionally an unknown underdog will rise up and beat the stuffing out of people with household names and an entire wing of their home dedicated to trophies and bracelets. Event #23 was not one of these events. The final table had all the suspense and drama of a battle hardened Roman Legion getting its swords up against a group of Shriners.

New Jersey Poker Case Starts with Not Guilty Plea

Some two dozen plaintiffs in a sports betting ring that took place in the poker room of an Atlantic City casino have had their day in court, the first of many, and have plead not guilty. Playing in the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, the betting ring reportedly took in some $60 million in bets without the casino's awareness or permission. In some cases it was a family affair with the mother and girlfriend accepting money on behalf of one of the members of the sports betting ring. Related Articles: Crackdown on video poker coming in Maryland Video poker bad for owner...

2008 WSOP Event 27 Winner Vitaly Lunkin

Cashing in a World Series of Poker is an accomplishment that a lot of mediocre poker players hang their hat on. Even the most aggressive self-promoter would have problems talking up their 829th place finish during a WSOP Main Event with a straight face. Yes, that is a position that allows the player to finish in the money, but on Fathers Day nobody buys a t-shirt that states "#829 Dad". Someone who finishes in that position is not often expected to have a bracelet winning performance the next time they see WSOP money. Russia's Vitaly Lunkin did not exactly go from worst to first, but 829th to first is pretty close.

Online Poker Tour Partners with World Poker Store

The international entertainment company World Poker Store has announced that online poker room Everest Poker will become the official online sponsor of the Bar Poker League in Germany. Live games played in German bars will be partnered with online marketing efforts of Everest Poker to get the word of the league out to the public. The World Poker Store is looking to the model of the German bar league to set the example of other European efforts in partnership with Everest Poker, a very Eurocentric online poker environment. Related Articles: Poker Room looks for reality Online poker room guarantees millions...

Fear at the Poker Table

There are a number of odors that can show up at a poker table. Any situation that involves a sedentary activity plus lots of beer and alcohol can produce the types of smells that are probably off limits to talk about in polite company. Of course if somebody sits down at that table and has the alluring scent of Obsession wafting in your direction, chances are you will at least have something pleasant to look at during the game. Of all the scents that can happen at the poker table the one that will raise the most eyebrows is the smell of fear.

2008 WSOP Event 26 Winner Barry Greenstein

There is an old saying about people who hesitate and how they are completely screwed (in other words "he who hesitates is lost"). There is equally well known phrase that has become a part of the culture that simply celebrates patience as a virtue. Barry Greenstein saw both of these ideas put to the test on his rocky road to the Event #26 bracelet. Barry got through the first day of competition and found himself on top of the chip count at that point. Thanks to some people showing disdain for the practice of hesitation, he was bumped down to second place by the end of the second day.

Crackdown on Video Poker Coming in Maryland

On June 17 Comptroller Franchot made an announcement concerning video poker machines at Maryland bars, commenting that a broad crackdown was about to begin. While these machines are supposedly for amusement only, the Tax Collector's offices of the opinion that they are used as illegal slot machines, and will use their authority to enforce alcohol laws in order to pressure bars to get rid of them. A letter was sent out to the 7200 liquor license holders in the state of Maryland letting them know that the "Taxman cometh." Some of those licensees are of the opinion that the comptroller is overstepping his bounds. Related Articles: Poker games impounded No new poker machines for Queensland...

2008 WSOP Diary, June 16: Heads-Up World Championship Finished

We are now half way through the World Series of Poker, and there are a whole lot of things we haven't seen yet. Nobody named Brunson or Hellmuth has even come close to a bracelet yet. No corporate mascots have been assaulted, everyone has kept their clothes on, and we have not heard the words, "...is the youngest person to ever win a WSOP bracelet." What we have seen is perhaps the best mix in years of household names winning championships. We have seen dominating performances, hard fought battles, and some marathons that would have made even the Greeks wince with discomfort. Today was no different.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Twenty: The Lull

You might say that today will be the start of the calm before the storm. It is Day 20 of the 39th annual World Series of Poker, and the two events that start today are in the early and mid thirties. That means that we are cresting the zenith and about to start the slide down to the final event. That means that a lot of people have spent their bankroll and/ or are saving it for the Game. And that means the start of the lull. The lull is that period in every World Series of Poker where it seems like the daily attendance drops off.

Know Who Your Opponent Is

Most people are not quite sure what else Roger Tory Peterson did with his life, but he did write the definitive field guide for those who like looking at birds. Thanks to Mr. Peterson a lot of us can quickly figure out if that bird divinig at us at 200 miles per hour is hawk or a really brain damaged seagull. Those without the guide would have to sort that out for themselves. That can be rather painful experience. The point is that for some of us, there is value in being able to tell one bird from another. This is probably also a good lesson for poker players.

Vitaly Lunkin Wins WSOP Bracelet

The latest poker champ at the 39th annual World Series of Poker is one Vitaly Lunkin, one of the few amateur players to win during this season. He won Event #27, a No Limit Holdem, $1,500 buy in tournament, which brought in more than 2,700 players and built a prize pool large enough to pay out $628,417 to Lunkin and $387,837 to second place finisher Brett Kimes. In another event that finished the same day Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth and Chris Ferguson all made a final table, but none of them won, leaving the victory to yet another amatuer poker player. Related Articles: Barry Greenstein wins WSOP bracelet Poker Kid wins a WSOP event...

2008 WSOP Event 21 Winner Scott Seiver

The final table of Event #21 was probably over before the end of play on Day 2: most of the players simply didn't know it was already in the bag for Scott Seiver. Earlier this year he was teased with a final table possibility when he finished 13th during a previous event during the World Series of Poker. This time he would not be denied. On the second day of play he used a late surge of aggression and good fortune to gather up chips like a demented squirrel rounding up enough nuts to get the tiny mammal through the next Ice Age.

Wives of Dallas Cowboys Poker for Pets

The wives of the Dallas Cowboys, an American Football team, have come together to put on a charity poker tournament to support the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The Dallas Cowboys Wives put on Poker for Pets, at the Four Seasons Resort and Club, where the game was Texas Holdem poker and the proceeds went to the SPCA of Texas and their 2008 Fur Ball. The Fur Ball is another charity fundraiser that pulls in money to support pet related programs such as adoptions and community education. Related Articles: Old Town, new world poker fundraiser Charity poker tournament by Montel...

2008 WSOP Diary, June 15: Brother of Event #2 Champion Takes Down Event #23

The WSOP is crowning an average of two people per day. We don't mean that in the manner that somebody who owes the mafia money gets crowned, but just stating the fact that an average of two WSOP bracelet winners are named per day: Day 17 was no exception. Max Pescatori pulled out a come from behind, heads-up victory to secure the Event #24 ($2,500 Pot Limit Holdem/Omaha) championship, while Blair Hinkle was a table terror during Event #23 ($2,000 No Limit Holdem). During this event he personally eliminated six out of his eight opponents as he completely dominated the table on the way to his WSOP bracelet.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Nineteen: Two Events at Once

Today is Day 19 of the 2008 World Series of Poker and two events are starting at two different times. This is significant for what we would like to talk about today, playing in two WSOP events at the same time. Poker pros are known to do this. They will buy in for multiple events that have overlapping times as a form of insurance. If they bust out of the first, they have time to play in the second. Thanks to the WSOP's rule of letting players buy in during the first two blind levels (as long as the event is not sold out, which rarely happens) pros can also just buy in to one and keep an eye on the other.

Pod People

It is not a coincidence that most of the biggest tournaments in the sport of poker are also in some of the most interesting and exciting places on the planet. For some reason that can only be described as evil poker is often played in close proximity to dancing, buffets, and playful members of the opposite sex. This is not a big problem if you are engaging in a tournament that only lasts for four or five hours, but this is of great concern to somebody who is flirting with a chip lead on day one of a long tourney.

2008 WSOP Event 19 Winner Vanessa Selbst

Chip leaders have been an endangered species this year at the World Series of Poker. Most of them start off the final table at the top of the food chain and end the tournament as an obscure footnote to somebody else's amazing comeback. While the bars at the Rio have been filled with formerly potent chip leaders who seemed to need some poker Cialis to make it all the way to the climax, Vanessa Selbst doesn't seem to have had that problem. She finished each day of the tourney with the chip lead, including the only day that really matters - the last one.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Eighteen: An Amateur Is Due

Today is Day 18 of the 39th annual World Series of Poker, and the pros continue their domination of winning bracelets this year. Our predictions are more or less coming true as well, and we have a good one for you today. Today the $2,500 short handed event takes place and we are going out on a limb to predict an amateur will take this one. It is Event 31, $2,500 No Limit Holdem Six Handed, a short handed event, which typically draws smaller crowds than the full handed. This is a curious phenomenon, considering that most players would tell you that short handed games open up their gap, letting them play more hands.

2008 WSOP Event 20 Winner Daniel Negreanu

A big complaint among a lot of casual fans of the WSOP is that a large number of the people winning bracelets are about as high profile as the losers who show up on the American Idol blooper reel. While many poker fans love watching new stars arise during the WSOP, you do have that class of people who are like the hockey fans still crying in their beer because Cindy Crosby didn't lift the Stanley Cup this year. In short, they aren't entertained unless a celebrity player is in the mix. While we have had some star powered final tables, those who get most of their poker from their television sets should have been in ecstasy during Event #20.

2008 WSOP Event 16 Winner Andrew Brown

There is just something wrong when you look at Andrew Brown. He kind of looks like Carrot Top, but plays like somebody with Brunson DNA going through their veins. Despite the inanity between how he looks and how he plays, Andrew Brown is the winner of a very dramatic Event #16 ($2,000 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo). Before Andrew became the story of this tournament, there was another one developing. Jim Pechac started the day with two thousand dollars. Despite this, he took his meager stack and put on a clinic of short handed play.

2008 WSOP Event 15 Winner Svetlana Gromenkova

The next person who compares Anh Le to a bridesmaid is probably going to have the sort of brain damage that only a purse with a brick in it can cause. For the second time in four years, Ms. Le was eliminated in second place, just missing the bracelet by one stubborn player. In this case the immovable object to her not so irresistible force was Svetlana Gromenkova. Svetlana has entered the final day of play in a pretty good position, and after eliminating Patty Till in 3rd place, the Championship looked like it was hers for the taking.

Presidential Candidates Rated by Poker Players Alliance

The two presidential candidates are going to be rated in a number of ways in the coming months, but one way they might not have expected was based on their support for online poker. Rich Muny, a board member of the Poker Players Alliance, has rated John McCain and Barack Obama with grades. Obama gets a C, mostly because he is himself a poker player, but McCain gets a D simply because he hasn't expressed an opinion one way or another, although he did not get behind the infamous UIGEA statement. Related Articles: Obama's poker skills highlighted Doyle Brunson makes political support statement...

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Seventeen: World Championship Limit Holdem

Here comes yet another World Championship event at the 39th annual World Series of Poker. The naming of these events is curious: it is understandable from a marketing perspective - they are, after all, taking place in the World Series of Poker, so a World Championship isn't much of a labeling stretch. However it does smack a bit of irrelevance. While many of the World Championship events are $10,000 events, some are not (such as the $1,000 World Championship Ladies Event), so buy in can't be the reason for setting these events aside. Either way players who specialize in Limit Holdem will be looking to this event for a big payoff.

2008 WSOP Event 18 Winner Mike Matusow

Usually if Mike "The Mouth" Matusow is sporting a big grin it means that somewhere a puppy has been kicked. This time the smile still came at the expense of others but nobody will begrudge him ruining the day for eight other players and capturing his third World Series of Poker bracelet. Mike didn't just overcome a field of internet qualifiers and anybody who walked in off the street from their accounting job in order to spend their vacation days living a dream: he beat a field of poker players that have as much all star credibility as the current Boston Celtics team.

2008 WSOP Event 17 Winner Jason Young

Between the last two days of play, the competitors spent thirty hours in their seats. For a while it would seem that the winner would be the person whose body could process caffeine with the most efficiency. Would anybody blame someone for trying to make this a fast final table? Casey Coleman started off aggressively, and paid for it. He was like a fly going splat on a windshield. He lost a big hand and half of his stack to Matthew Giannetti in the early goings of the final table. He held on for a little longer, but was eliminated in 10th place. Jason Young got his first victim of the day by eliminating Alex Triner in 9th place.

Bluffing the Calling Station

The title "Calling Station" seems like it should be the name of an 80's new wave band. In reality, this is what we call a player who regularly calls bets when the cards and anything that resembles common sense is telling them to fold. While most competent players will only see 20% to 25% of the flops, calling stations seem to make it their mission in life to see just about all of them. It's almost as if the cards are an epic mini-series and they are afraid to miss an episode.

2008 WSOP Event 14 Winner Eric Brooks

Sometimes it is all about the bracelet. That sounds silly: everyone who sits down to play a World Series of Poker event desperately wants that piece of jewelry, but most of them are not crying in their beer when they are given thousands, hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions of dollars with their wrist bling. The majority of players would probably be upset if they were handed their bracelet, given a firm handshake, and sent off without getting a check to go with it. Eric Brooks is the exception to this particular rule.

2008 WSOP Diary, June 12: Daniel Negreanu Won Event 20, Vanessa Selbst Took Down Event 19

Vanessa Selbst won the Event #19 bracelet today. She took this particular Championship in a manner that would have brought a wicked little smile to the face of Moe the bully from the Simpsons or those Cobra Khan kids from the film the Karate Kid. She went out and picked on all the stacks that were small and weaker than her own. Unlike when antagonist Johnny Lawrence kicked the tail of "Danilesan", there was no shabbily dressed karate master to save their tournament lives. She simply collected their chips and used their tiny stacks to cobble together an insurmountable chip lead.

GSN Still Showing WPT

While the news is out that the Games and Sports Network, better known as GSN, had decided not to renew the contract with the World Poker Tour for another season, they still are showing the current season and back episodes. This Father's Day GSN will feature a special marathon of poker, including the Fathers and Sons special episode of the WPT, featuring teams like Barry Greenstein with son Joe Sebok, and Doyle and Todd Brunson. Even WPT announcer Vince Van Patten will get to play with his dad Dick Van Patten. Related Articles: WPT Spanish victory World Poker Tour says goodbye to Layla...

2008 WSOP Diary, June 10: Ladies Champion Is Crowned, Another World Championship Event Finished

If there is any truth to the whole bit about there being no fury like that of a woman scorned, this might be a good day to stay out of the path of Anh Le. During Event #15 ($1,000 Ladies No Limit Holdem World Championship) she battled back from a two to one chip deficit during the heads up play against Svetlana Gromenkova. Eventually she had nearly doubled up on Svetlana, and the Championship was just about within reach. But after that things went the way that Gromenkova was crowned this year's ladies champion.

2008 WSOP Diary, June 9: Duncan Bell Wins Event 13, David Oppenheim Leads Event 14

First of all, if your nickname is "Pumper", chances are you are either a fuel dispersal engineer (you know, that guy who fills your car with gas) or your profession involves some sleazy jazz music and fruit rollup underwear. There is nothing in this name that screams, "Hey, this guy can play some serious poker!" Well despite the handicap of a rather silly moniker, Duncan "Pumper" Bell showed some world class poker skill, as well as ran a clinic on how to play with the lead as he took Event #13 ($2,500 No Limit Holdem) Championship.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Fourteen: Trending Up

Today is the 14th day of the 2008 WSOP running at the Rio in Las Vegas, and two more events kick off in the Amazon room. There is yet another No Limit Holdem event, and something new, a mixed Pot Limit Holdem + Pot Limit Omaha event. Over the last two years the bulk of the events were No Limit Holdem, or some form of Holdem, with a sprinkling of Stud, Omaha, Razz and other one-offs. This year the trend is moving upwards in complexity with more mixed games than ever before. Does this signify an industry-wide upward trend?

Online Poker Room Guarantees Millions

Online poker room VC Poker has come out with a guarantee that is surely to generate some buzz, even during the 39th annual World Series of Poker taking place in Las Vegas currently. VC Poker will be hosting poker tournaments that have a total of $2.5 million in guaranteed winnings, which means at least half a million dollars is going to go to the winner. Those playing in Las Vegas right now won't have to worry about missing out, the fun does not get started until this fall, with the big event kicking off on September 7th. Related Articles: Subscription based poker room New poker upgrades at online poker room...

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Eleven: The Shootout

Today is Day 11 of the 39th annual World Series of Poker and the hits just keep coming. More bracelets are being passed out, more dreams are being made real - and many, many more are not, but we're here to report on the happy! Today one of the more interesting events will take place in the Amazon Room at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas: the Shootout. Event #17, the No Limit Holdem $1,500 Shootout, is a stand alone kind of event at the World Series of Poker - or anywhere for that matter.

2008 WSOP Event 6 Winner Thang Luu

Despite how lousy being the bubble boy can be, sometimes it can spur people to perform beyond what they thought may be possible. While Thang Luu may have always possessed World Series of Poker level championship skill, when he was sitting on the final table bubble, it really didn't look like it. When push came to shove though, he shoved hard and not only made it to the final table, but did so with a considerable chip lead. One of the biggest obstacles standing between Thang and a bracelet was Omaha pro Scott Clements.

Some Predators Do Change Their Spots

A leopard probably has very little hope of changing its spots, so if you see an orange blotchy thing sitting in the green grass, you are best off not going in that direction. Of course any diver who has ever had a chunk taken out of their arm by a Humboldt Squid they didn't see because it had changed colors probably have other opinions on vicious predators and their ability to change things up. The problem with living one life by clichés is that they are broad brush strokes and are not relevant in every situation.

Singlied Out

Anybody who grew up watching Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom knows that when lion hunts it doesn't just randomly throw itself on rampaging herd of water buffalo in the hopes that the ton and a half herbivore will just simply throw up the white flag and start pointing out where the best meat is. Lions always try to isolate their prey, and go after the one who is most likely not to get up when they knock it down. They rarely let their egos get to them and go after the biggest, most angry looking one in the bunch.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Thirteen: Ride the HORSE

Today is the lucky thirteenth day of the 2008 World Series of Poker, and there will be plenty of players hoping a little of that luck will rub off on them as they take their seats to continue, start, or finish an event. One new event this year is a cheaper version of the Big One (in terms of buy in), a $2,500 HORSE. HORSE, as you may not know, stands for Holdem, Omaha, Razz, Stud, and Omaha Eight or better. This is a round robin style game that really puts the brain to work, calling upon constantly shifting strategies; or, if not constantly, then as often as the levels change.

Poker Robbers Arrested

Last March two 18 year old poker players were robbed of almost $25k they won in a poker tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, and recently three 18 year olds were arrested and accused with the crime. The arrested teens are Jahson Linton, Clinton Ellington Jr and Emmanuel Alexis, who were spotted keeping an eye on Brett Maistri and Sean Remz during the tournament. While the two were escorted to their car by security, they were followed and set upon when their car was cut off and two men jumped out with guns. Related Articles: Police check out poker room, no arrests High stakes poker game raided...

New Canadian Celebrity Poker Tournament

The first Annual Celebrity Poker Tournament hosted by Century Casino & Hotel in Edmonton, Canada has been announced via press release and the benefits of the poker event will go to supporting the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Alberta. Canadian TV stars are scheduled to appear, such as Lorne Cardinal and Tara Spencer-Nairn from "Corner Gas." Other celebrities such as Playboy model Rochelle Loewen and football player Singor Mobley will play as well. The event is scheduled for June 14, 2008, and is restricted to only 77 players, and is to be held in the new 24 hour poker room at Century Casino. Related Articles: Poker all day long Old Town, new world poker fundraiser...

2008 WSOP Event 10 Winner Farzad Rouhani

A lot of things can happen in four hours. Somebody could watch Dances with Wolves, complete a Nascar event, or broil a turkey to golden perfection. What most people cannot do with that particular time limit is go from start to finish at the final table of a WSOP event and come away with a bracelet. If your tournament day is done at the WSOP after four hours of final table play, chances are something has gone horribly wrong. With that said, sometimes a player can catch lightning in a bottle, do a quick march through the competition and be done in time to watch a Matlock re-run. This is pretty much how Event #10 went for Farzad Rouhani.

A Powerful Pair of Skills

If you have a pair of Aces in your hand, and another one falls on the turn, you will probably be putting in the sort of bets that you hope somebody calls in the hopes of getting the poor saps at the table to add to a pot that will ultimately be in neat little stacks in front of you. Any poker book that talks about this sort of action should include that type of value betting in a chapter entitled "Duh". If in this situation you are thinking, "I hope they call my bets", and one of your opponents is looking at the King on the board like starving man eyeing a bucket of chicken, then you have mastered the concept of thin value betting.

New eBook on Online Poker

According to a recent press release the new eBook from Internet Poker Coach was timed to help players get ready to compete in the 39th annual World Series of Poker, currently running at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The eBook is titled "The No BS Guide to Winning Online Texas Holdem" and was penned by author Chris Wilcox, who makes the point that many of the champions at the WSOP in recent years got their training by playing online poker, which allows for a faster education thanks to the speed at which the game can be played. Related Articles: Gus Hansen wrote a book Three online pros to author books. ...

2008 WSOP Event 5 Winner Michael Banducci

There are some sports teams that have subscribed to the theory of "if it's not rough it ain't right". Of course most of them who attempted to apply this idea to a Championship run usually find themselves on the golf course while their opponents are either going deeper into the playoffs or drinking champagne out of an absurdly large trophy. While the "if it's not rough it ain't right" approach usually fails in team sports it has done well at this year's World Series of Poker. Event #5 was not one of these events though.

2008 WSOP Event 7 Winner Matt Keikoan

Matt Keikoan is no stranger to WSOP money finishes. During his poker career he has managed five of them. While this is impressive you can't wrap a money finish around your wrist and make everyone else in the room jealous with it. You can try, but the check will probably just fall apart, rip, or be conned off of your arm by somebody whose personality is enhanced with some serious silicone. Matt Keikoan started the final table second to Theo Tran in the chip count. Theo was a man on a mission during this tournament. He had seized the chip lead on day one and never relinquished it.

2008 WSOP Event 8 Winner Anthony Rivera

Most of us are aware that David slew a Philistine with a severe pituitary gland problem named Goliath. This unlikely victory was helped along with the theory that if the giant doesn't get near you, he can't hurt you. In other words, David stayed at a safe distance and chucked rocks at Goliath until he fell down. While the Philistine champion was unconscious, David cut his head off and then went on to commit a number of war crimes against the enemy. While nobody lost their head during Event #8 ($10,000 Mixed Games) a number of giants found themselves on the wrong end of the wrath of an unlikely hero named Anthony Rivera.

Playing with Your Ego

Nobody really knows where the competitive juices come from. There is probably some egg headed scientist who will tell you that they are created by the pituitary gland while it is equally feasible that they come from a bottle of whisky. Wherever they come from it is what drives people to race their souped-up Camaro against a Ferrari, or cause somebody to walk into a biker bar and order a drink with an umbrella in it and wait for somebody to call them a sissy. While we all enjoy being competitive, we must remember that poker is not only an activity that pits one person against another, it is also one where we try to make money.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Ten: Something for the Ladies

A few years back a very lovely lady came out of the blue and won the World Series of Poker's women's event. Her name was Jennifer Tilly; the fact that this woman - also a famous movie star - pulled off this win was incredible enough, but in the same year she also won the ladies event at the World Poker Tour, becoming the only woman in history to hold both titles at all, much less getting them in the same year. Today the 2008 WSOP will be holding the Ladies event - will Jennifer Tilly make a triumphant return to victory?

Mom Busted Playing Poker Gets Rebuy

The judge presiding over the case of the mother who left her three kids sleeping in her car at nigth while she played at a charity poker event has decided to give her a second chance to clear her record. Diem Thi Tran was told that if she pays fines and attends a child neglect class the judge would make sure her record would be wiped clear of the charges. Her three children, found asleep in her car in the parking lot, were believed to be alone for as many as three hours before being discovered by the police. Related Articles: Kids come second to poker playing mom Justice minister plays in new charity poker event...

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Nine: 7-Card

As the ninth day of the 2008 World Sereis of Poker dawns in Las Vegas, some poker players are just going to be headed for bed. Other players, however, are sleeping hard, getting in some exersize and trying to eat right to do their best in the tournaments. And some try to do both. Today the World Championship Seven-Card Stud game will start off, the $10k event number 14. Like other "World Championship" events with a ten thousand dollar price tag that are not the Main Event, this stud game will likely wind up light on players. Add to the it the fact that it is seven-card stud - a game gathering dust with all but the most dedicated of poker players - and you lighten the load even more.

2008 WSOP Diary, June 4: Event #2 Finishes, Event #4 Reaches Final Table, Second Championship Event Starts

Day 2 of Event #5 looked like a sort of Roman arena where hungry, 500 lb lions would be pitted against the French Olympic skating team. Over 30 players were eliminated in the first hour of play. Among the dead and dying was Phil Hellmuth, who will now have to wait a little longer for that 12th bracelet. Sorel Mizzi, Clonie Gowen, and Phil Ivey also joined him on the rail. Among the people still kicking in this one are Daniel Negreanu, Jeff Madsen, Michael Binger, and John Juanda.

Dealing with Players Who Go Off Early

While going off early is probably not a good formula for rocket science, it is something that can be exploited when it happens during Texas Holdem. There are a lot of players out there who, like the amateur rocket scientist, find themselves going off early. You will see that a lot of players will show some severe aggression pre-flop and post-flop, but when they get to the turn it will seem as though they have shot their wad, and have nothing left in the tank.

Last Year WSOP Final Table Player Wins African Event

Ray Rahme was the oldest player at the final table of last year's World Series of Poker, and while this year's WSOP goes on he is winning again, but not in Las Vegas. Rahme is in Swaziland, where he just recently won the All Africa Poker Tournament held at Piggs Peak Hotel & Casino. Rahme picked up the One Million Rand prize for his victory, a follow up to his victory at the same event last year, which got him the entry to the 2007 WSOP main event in the first place. Related Articles: Latest WSOP victor Erick Lindgren snags WSOP gold...

2008 WSOP Event 2 Winner Grant Hinkle

It was long, it was brutal, and for the most part it was fueled by caffeine, alcohol and bitterness. Now we are aware this description could fit a lot of things, including this year's season of "The Flavor of Love", but it also describes the World Series of Poker's most contentious event of the year so far: Event #2 ($1500 No Limit Holdem). The eighteen hour marathon play before the final table is well documented and will probably become a part of WSOP lore in the years to come.

Dealing with WSOP Celebrities

In poker, there are a plethora of celebrities who are recognizable by even the most casual fan. While talking to one of those casual fans who watched Gus Hansen give away a massive chip lead during the WPT Championship in April, he expressed how disappointed he was that Gus would not take picture with him afterwards. In fact he used the sort of words to describe Mr. Hansen that the editorial staff would beat the author of this article silly if they were used in this text.

Will Play for Food

Doyles Room is sponsoring Shannon Elizabeth in the World Series of Poker this year. That is at least $10,000 that she won't be spending at this year's WSOP. To be fair, she isn't wearing the Brunson logo simply because she looks good in a skirt. Shannon got that sponsorship because she is a good player who just happens to look really good in a skirt. This is generally a good combination to get the cameras' attention, and let's face it, this is all about getting Doyle's logo on television.

2008 WSOP Event 3 Winner David Singer

David Singer has been to a lot of World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour final tables, including the WSOP Main Event in 2003. He was always close, and came away with some big checks, but could never close the deal when it came to actually taking the championship. To date his poker career could only be called a Cinderella story if the handsome prince stopped just short of slipping the glass stiletto on her dainty foot and went to a keg party instead. Today though, the glass slipper fit.

Bluffing with a Short Stack

If somebody is playing from a position of strength whenever they sit down to play poker you can bet your extra kidney as well 401K that they have extra cards stuffed up their sleeve, under their shirt, and possibly in places that one would need rubber gloves and forceps to get at. In other words, we all find ourselves playing from a weak position and trying to bluff our way back into contention. So when your stack is not so potent, and you want to run a bluff, what should you do?

The Heimlich Maneuver: Semi-Bluffing

Inducing a bluff is sort of like the poker version of performing the Heimlich maneuver. Your opponent is choking on a big bankroll and you are just helping them to spit it up. This is an act of mercy on your part. It's beautiful in its own way. Now if you are going to induce a bluff, the first thing you have to accept is the fact that you are going to have to act very passively. When you are looking for good role model for passive behavior, think of Fay Wray in King Kong.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Seven: The Signings

The World Sereis of Poker is a great place to chase your dreams. Where else in the world can the "average guy" sit down next to the legends of the game, compete on a (somewhat) level playing field, and have a realistic shot at beating them? There are the big dreams like this, and those about making life changing paydays, and then there are the dreams of respectability and career building. The WSOP is great for those, too. For example, the news the other day was about two well known poker pros signing up for sponsorships with two online poker companies.

WPT Spanish Victory

The very first Spanish Championship held as part of the World Poker Tour has wrapped up and declared the first winner, and his name is Hansen. Not Gus Hansen, but Casper Hansen, who picked up a 400,000 euro prize and a seat in the World Poker Tour Championship at the end of the season, which alone is worth $25k and has the potential to turn into millions. In second place was Stefan Mattsson with 220k, Thiago Nishijima in 3rd with 112k, Andres Vidal in 4th with 87k, Guy Sitbon in 5th with 75k, and Martin Lundenius in sixth with 62k. Related Articles: Chiu trumps Hansen at World Poker Tour event Seidel wins WPT event...

2008 WSOP Diary, June 3: Second Event Continues, First Omaha Event Begins

When your nickname is Jesus, the comments about resurrection in the context of the rabbi/deity from Nazareth are obvious. Mr. Ferguson is actually more like his namesake in his ability to stubbornly get under the skin of people by simply not going away. As the contentious Event #2 continued, the bleary eyed competitors who were still reeling from an 18 hour marathon came back in an attempt to close out the tournament. Players were cut down pretty quickly initially, but Chris "Jesus" Ferguson managed to keep staving off elimination. Whether this gritty determination will be enough for him to actually win is another thing altogether, but at this moment you gotta admire the guy's tenaciousness.

Camera Shy

We have encountered a number of players who have wound up playing at the WSOP, WPT, or any number of big name tournaments. While we have talked to a lot of stars, we have also met a bunch of people who held down day jobs and have either won a satellite to get into one of the many big events, or they have put up the money themselves to live this particular dream. The problem with a lot of these people is that they may be as skilled as anyone who has ever won a WSOP bracelet, the realization of where you are doesn't really hit you until you see the camera crews running from table to table in order to capture the action.

FOP Poker Run on June 7

While the high rollers and poker dreamers head for Las Vegas this summer, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge #41 will be headed for the highway as they hold their very first poker run. The Poker Run Memorial Motorcycle Ride will take place on June 7 in Russellville, where participants will ride their motorcycles in a charity event to raise money for the Shop with a Cop program. Unlike traditional poker runs where riders go at their own pace, these bikers will ride in parade formation for safety. Related Articles: Darts man heads for WSOP Blind grateful to poker runners...

2008 WSOP Diary: Second Event Continues, First Omaha Event Begins

When your nickname is Jesus, the comments about resurrection in the context of the rabbi/deity from Nazareth are obvious. Mr. Ferguson is actually more like his namesake in his ability to stubbornly get under the skin of people by simply not going away. As the contentious Event #2 continued, the bleary eyed competitors who were still reeling from an 18 hour marathon came back in an attempt to close out the tournament. Players were cut down pretty quickly initially, but Chris "Jesus" Ferguson managed to keep staving off elimination. Whether this gritty determination will be enough for him to actually win is another thing altogether, but at this moment you gotta admire the guy's tenaciousness.

Lawlessness

A common refrain in most court rooms and police precincts is that ignorance of the law is no excuse for bad behavior. Some of it is self-evident, for example: most people are pretty sure they have broken more than a few laws if the babysitter's head winds up in the lettuce crisper. While that one is pretty much obvious, depending up on where you are standing, there are probably a whole host of obscure laws that can make your life hell and cost you money if you find yourself in violation.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Six: The Race Is On

The 39th annual World Series of Poker race is on - actually, the race in question has been running for some time, but during the next six or so weeks we will see more runners in the race, and all the participants working harder than ever to get ahead. The race in question is, of course, the Player of the Year race, one that the top pros look at as an opportunity to stick a feather in their cap and call it career advancement. The POY takes into account the size of the event a player plays when determining the number of POY points he or she earns.

Dead Money Plays

Taking liberties with the dead is something that most associate with Mary Shelly's Dr. Frankenstein or Marilyn Manson's love life. It is also a strategy that involves players attacking the dead money at the table. The obvious part to this strategy involves attacking the blinds. The people who are forced to make a bet at the beginning of a hand have to put the money in regardless of what cards they are holding in their hand. In a large percentage of circumstances these people just wind up folding at some point and losing their bet.

Stopping the Thief

The late position at a Holdem table is often one that is played on auto-pilot. A common scenario before the flop goes as follows: The Blinds through their money to the center of the table and people in the early and mid positions either call or fold. The late position players try to steal the blinds by raising and ferreting out who has a real hand, and who is just kidding themselves. That above scenario is an example of conventional wisdom. Anybody who is familiar with conventional wisdom knows that it is the mother-in-law of logic.

2008 WSOP Diary: First Champion Is Crowned, Second Event Continues

There was a pair of awards presentations going on Day 3 of the 2008 WSOP. The more high profile one was the MTV movie awards. Several miles away from this train wreck, a legitimate award was being handed out. Nenad Medic was the first person of the season to be awarded a World Series of Poker bracelet. Even though PokerStars team member Kathy Liebert to make the whole thing interesting showed some strength and managed to finish fourth after being shortstacked, Nenad eventually wound up heads-up against Andy Bloch and eventually eliminated him to take the first victory of the World Series of Poker.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Five: The Rebuys

Today two events kick off in the Rio's Amazon Room, where all the poker players are chasing their dreams as well as their straights and flushes. The first bracelet has been awarded to Nenad Medic, for the $10k Pot Limit Holdem Championship event. While we did not predict a win for Medic, we did predict Andy Bloch would go far - he took second. The events for today include a rebuy and an Omaha event, both the first of their kind for the 39th annual World Series of Poker. Event 6 - $1,500 Omaha High-Low Split 8 or Better, will bring the Omaha fans out of the woodwork.

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Four: The Records Broken

The WSOP buzz is all about the attendance for Event 2, which shattered the attendance records of last year (non-main event) when 3,151 was the big number; 3,929 signed up to play over the two day start of Event 2. Considering the back and forth worry over attendance last year (which, despite having the new record in attendance for a non-main event tournament, did have a dip in the main event attendance) the organizers couldn't be happier over the big early ramp up in the first No Limit Texas Holdem game of the season. And this is a trend we figure will continue.

2008 WSOP Diary: First Final Table Set

There are a number of elderly people who have been fond of the old adage that "a change is as good as a rest". First of all, anyone who would take the position that a change of scenery is as good as some solid downtime has never known the simple pleasure of drinking half a bottle of NyQuil and watching the Teletubbies - that is the sort of experience that will not only leave a body well rested, but also profoundly changed and possibly brain damaged. Nobody would ever accuse Kathy Liebert of being brain damaged, but a change in team scenery seems to have paid off pretty well for her.

The Enemy of My Enemy

Is the enemy of your enemy your friend? Well outside of a vested interest in a shared foe, chances are you won't be going on one of those retreats where men go into the woods, bang drums, and cry with someone you term as an enemy. So don't get caught up in any poker table alliances you may have crafted in order to deal with a table bully. We have all been there: somebody at the table is winning way too much and being much too vocal about their good fortune. This is the sort of person that most of us would like to take cricket bat to in a way that is not altogether legal or moral.

Biggest Florida Poker Tournament Finished

The biggest poker tournament ever to be held in the state of Florida will was held over the weekend, adding to the poker fever sweeping the USA while the World Series of Poker ramps up across the country in Las Vegas, Nevada. The poker tourney in Florida was a $3k buy in No Limit Texas Holdem event held at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The tourney is unique in other ways as well: instead of the typical three to eight percent of the entry fee going to the house, a whopping twenty percent, or $600, of the buy in went to the Casino. Related Articles: New Asia Pacific Poker Tour Second European Championship of Online Poker running good...

2008 WSOP Forecast, Day Three: Nonconformity as Conformity

Today is the third day of the 39th annual World Series of Poker, and the pros are already showing themselves worthy of the name. The first event, begun on Friday, was the $10k Pot Limit Holdem Championship, one of the many $10k events this year, of which we said yesterday that Andy Bloch was going to go deep in more of them than any other player. Is he sitting at the final table today? Even if not, he was in the top four chip lead spots yesterday.

WSOP Class Is in Session

As part of the WSOP experience players can participate in a number of events that are geared to helping them survive in the brutal tournament environment. On June 6 and 7 the World Series of Poker Academy introduces a Ladies Only event, taking place at Caesars Palace. Annie Duke will be teaching the women the finer points of the game along with Alex "The Insider" Outhred and retired FBI agent Joe Navarro. Participants will be eligible for four WSOP event seats along with the knowledge they take away with them.

Looking for Movement in the Grass

At any tournament, or in just about any casino cash game there will be players who give away their position without smiling at the wrong time or the sort of facial twitch that would suggest a white coat that ties in back may be in their future. They simply expose themselves by making mistakes. Let's say you are playing against someone who has positon on you and an A/6/3 is flopped. When you opponent bets on this hand, they are hinting that they have a reason to stay in the pot.

Justice Minister Plays in New Charity Poker Event

The very first charity Texas Holdem poker tournament was held recently under the new gaming laws in New Brunswick, and among the 81 poker players was the justice minister for the province. Described as an "avid poker fan" the minister, TJ Burke, was allowed to play under the new law - along with the rest of the players, because at least 45 percent of the prize pool was going to a charity event, and only 35 percent given out as prize money. Under these restrictions a poker tournament for charity in New Brunswick is legal. Related Articles: Police check out poker room, no arrests Poker games impounded...

WSOP PPA Booth

The World Series of Poker was the first major institution to support poker players so it makes sense that attendees will find a booth announcing the benefits of membership in the Poker Players Alliance. The PPA is a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting poker players' rights across the US, with the motto "If you play, have a say," referring to participation in poker politics. The booth is right outside the doors of the poker room at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, where thousands of poker players will see it over the next month and a half. Related Articles: WSOP starts today The WSOP moves the Main Event final table to November...