13 Jul 06
Computers find poker tougher than chess
It may surprise you to learn that it's more difficult for a computer to play poker, perhaps the world's most popular card game, than chess, the pastime of deep thinkers.
Unlike chess, poker deals with tricky matters such as uncertainty, probability, guesswork and deception - human wiles that a chess-playing robot, such as the one that beat world champion Garry Kasparov in 1997, doesn't need to consider.
As a result, computer experts say, poker is more like real life - with all its subtleties and complications - than chess is, with its fixed rules and vast but finite possibilities.
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12 Jul 06
Poker Players Alliance: critical mass?
"Boasting a membership of approximately 30,000, The Poker Players Alliance represents online gambling's best hope of support against online gambling opponents in light of a bill banning the activity which passed the House floor Tuesday."
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12 Jul 06
Full Tilt Poker Player Wins Bracelet
LAS VEGAS, Nevada -– (PRESS RELEASE) -- Full Tilt Poker's Allen Cunningham has joined an elite group of World Series of Poker champions by winning his fourth career WSOP bracelet for his victory in the $1,000 No-Limit Hold 'em with Rebuys tournament. After only 16 days into the 47 day event, Cunningham is the third Full Tilt Poker pro to win a 2006 World Series of Poker bracelet following Rafe Furst and Mark Vos.
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12 Jul 06
WSOP '06: The winningest player
"At the largest World Series Of Poker to date it is easy to ignore the most impressive sequence of results by any one player because he hasn't won a single bracelet at the 2006 WSOP, at least not yet. Juan Carlos Mortensen, aka The Matador, has done the near impossible...
In tournament field sizes that routinely top 1000 players Mortensen, a former winner of the WSOP Main Event, has finished 9th,9th, and 10th in three No-Limit Hold'em events. This level of consistency is an amazing achievement, especially when you look at the long list of top poker players that have yet to cash at all in any of the events."
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12 Jul 06
What's wrong with an online gaming ban
... But the scope of such legislation is vast, and Goodlatte, Leach and the state of Washington may be biting off more than they can chew. A ban on online poker, the way Leach and Goodlatte want, and the way Washington St. has it, would be almost impossible to enforce and would violate a number of existing privacy laws.
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11 Jul 06
House OKs Bill to Rein in Online Gambling
Forbes - The House passed legislation Tuesday that would prevent gamblers from using credit cards to bet online and could block access to gambling Web sites.
The legislation would clarify and update current law to spell out that most gambling is illegal online. But there would be exceptions - for state-run lotteries and horse racing - and passage isn't a safe bet in the Senate, where Republican leaders have not considered the measure a high priority.
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11 Jul 06
Meyer Wins 2006 Ladies WPC
... When Bob Meyer proudly watched his wife Mary Jones Meyer win the 2006 Ladies World Poker Championship late on a Monday night at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas, it was as though he personally had won poker’s world championship. Meyer rushed to the stage and hugged his wife in a whirlwind dance immediately after witnessing her first major poker tournament win and $236,094 in prize money in the most dramatic fashion.
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11 Jul 06
Have They Gone Crazy in Congress?
So here we have it again. The federal government trying to control what you use your hard earned money for. Doesn't the federal government have better things to do than try to block people from going online to make a wager on the Super Bowl or play online poker after hard days work?
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10 Jul 06
Poker Crackdown in the UK
"Illegal poker game organisers will be looking over their shoulders after the UK Gambling Commission contacted local authorities and law enforcement agencies throughout the country last week, advising them to take action against illegal poker games that have sprung up in the wake of the game's global popularity."
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10 Jul 06
WSOP: Mikey The Chimp Is Ready
"The World Series of Poker Main Event has seen some weird and wonderful characters take part, many of them providing us with a good laugh. This year is about to get completely whacky. According to a VERY reliable birdie that whispered in our ear, a trained chimpanzee will hit the tables and no doubt cause a stir!"
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10 Jul 06
Robot poker player ups the ante
"Computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a smart learning program that can play a winning hand of Texas hold 'em.
Professor Tuomas Sandholm and graduate student Andrew Gilpin are behind the game theory program that will compete in the Computer Poker Competition on 16-20 July in Boston run by the American Association for Artificial Intelligence."
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07 Jul 06
WSOP Update - Day 12
Zack Zwerner, founder of the biggest bingo enterprise in America and former high-level casino executive, is the latest gold bracelet winner at the 2006 World Series of Poker, (WSOP) capturing $341,426 after three grueling days of Omaha High-Low 8/OB.
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07 Jul 06
World Series of Poker Circuit Announced
(PRESS RELEASE) -- Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET) said the third season of the popular World Series of Poker Circuit will include 11 tournament stops that will bring high-stakes poker action and excitement to players at nine Harrah's-operated casinos around the country.
"For the first time, our Circuit events are tied to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas," said Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the WSOP(TM). "If you win the $5,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em Circuit championship at one of our properties, you're headed to Las Vegas to play in our Main Event."
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06 Jul 06
Doyle Brunson: Poker's Living Legend
"Doyle Brunson, now 72, has lived a life unmatched by anyone. If you add up all the stories, all the history, and all the accomplishments, he has had a hand in writing most of poker’s most important chapters.
As the patriarch of modern poker, Card Player honored Doyle with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at the Card Player 2005 Player of the Year Awards banquet."
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06 Jul 06
Pulse Monitors Peel Away Poker Mystique
foxnews.com -- [S]everal TV programs attempting to cash in on the poker craze is peeling away [player] defenses with pulse monitors that players strap to their chests before taping. ...
"These people are bare naked,"said executive producer John Faratzis, an Emmy winner who turned down a job producing National Football League games to run the 43-week series.
"The interesting thing for me is to see whether that accelerated heart rate and that attention shows on their face,"he said."You get to find out: How astute a competitor are they? Can they mask that? Or are they truly a calm individual?"
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06 Jul 06
Pros Lurking Around WSOP Satellite Tables
"Even if you're not planning on playing in one the featured events of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), there's still a chance to face a familiar professional if you decide to play in the satellites or cash games.
Poised around the rails of those tables are televised pros, eager to grab the buy-in money needed to enter the bigger tournaments. If you're lucky (or unlucky, depending on your goal), these players might even sit down with you and play a hand or two."
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05 Jul 06
Watch Out for the Legends!
"It’s almost time. I can’t stop thinking about the World Series of Poker as it gets ready to roll out the red carpet for record numbers of players swarming to the Nevada desert.
I think there is one thing to keep an eye out for: This year could mark the return to the winner’s circle for living legends like Card Player magazine’s cover star, Doyle Brunson. In pursuit of his record 11th WSOP bracelet, Brunson continues to play his “A-game” at the highest levels.
Doyle’s not the only old-school player out there who is a threat to take down a championship bracelet. Watch out for other legends of the felt like Chip Reese, Dewey Tomko, and Billy Baxter."
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05 Jul 06
Republicans to push for online gambling ban
"Interesting perspectives on US political moves to ban online gambling were reported this week in the New York Times, which claims that several interest groups are lining up to lobby for or against Web gambling.
The article reports that an array of interest groups like casinos in the USA and abroad, as well as sports leagues, antigambling coalitions and even poker players, has dispatched lobbyists to argue what should be legal and what should not over a wide range of Internet transmitted gambling entertainment from horse racing to lotteries, and poker to fantasy sports."
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05 Jul 06
WSOP Tips for Visitors
"If you're a casual player planning a trip to Las Vegas in the next upcoming months, the WSOP season might be the best time of the year to come out. The thrill of watching WSOP events combined with the large number of games being hosted makes it an excellent time for the amateur poker player to visit, regardless of level. There are some important things, however, that you should take into consideration before you arrive."
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04 Jul 06
30% Rake Back at Ladbrokes
"Ladbrokes Poker have been giving poker players 30% rake back during the World Cup. This great promotion ends on July 7th, so there is still time to rack up your rake back bonus."
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