06 Feb 06
Never Underestimate the Rake
casinocitytimes.com -- by Fred Renzey: Live poker is the only casino game in which you play against the other players rather than against the house. Poker also involves more skill than any other casino game. These two conditions make live poker a 'beatable' game – if you know what you're doing.
That 'if' however, is a huge one. The thing that makes it so big is not necessarily your opponents. The 'rake' can be an even larger factor in many games. Remember, the house doesn't run poker games out of the goodness of its heart. The casino 'rakes' a certain amount of money out of each pot. In my local area, most pots are raked $5 each. So let me give you an idea of just how much that rake can affect your chances to win."
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06 Feb 06
SEC looks closer at DoylesRoom.com
"The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is turning the heat up on poker legend Doyle Brunson. Wallace Nakano, the operator of Brunson's namesake online poker room, has been subpoenaed by the SEC, but has thus far refused to testify. The SEC has subpoenaed Nakano in connection with its investigation of a dubious takeover bid issued by Brunson and other investors in the middle of last year."
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03 Feb 06
Need a pill?
"In the largest clinical study of its kind, researchers at the University of Minnesota found that an experimental drug often used to treat alcoholism may also curb the urge to gamble. Scientists say the drug interferes with the part of the brain that processes pleasure.
Two-thirds of the people in the study showed significant improvement.
The maker of the drug sponsored the study."
PS. It has also been reported that 1/3 of the study's subject showed "improvement" after being given nothing but a placebo sugar pill. And that 1/3 of the people in the study dropped out due to unpleasant side effects including nausea and vomitting which, presumably, would also help to keep them away from the games.
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03 Feb 06
New alliance for WSOP
LAS VEGAS, February 2, 2006 – IMG, the world’s premiere sports and lifestyle marketing firm, and Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET), the world’s largest gaming company, have formed an exclusive global sales and marketing alliance centered around business operations for the World Series of Poker, Harrah’s signature sports property.
“The goal is to enhance our position as the most prestigious poker tournament in the world and as the pre-eminent poker brand in the sports industry,” said Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the World Series of Poker and Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Marketing for Harrah’s. “With our 36-year tradition and heritage, the World Series of Poker is already the category leader, but with IMG’s expertise and global reach, we will create a new standard of excellence for our customers and partners.”
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02 Feb 06
"The Biggest VIP Club in History"
"LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- PokerStars.com, the world's leading poker tournament site and one of the largest poker rooms in the world in overall traffic, has launched its new VIP Club. This special program is intended to reward players who enjoy playing online poker at all levels. A wide variety of prizes are available. Currently, PokerStars.com has over 4,000,000 registered players and is one of the poker industry's fastest-growing poker rooms."
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02 Feb 06
Wi-Fi TV widens Poker's reach
"Wi-Fi TV Inc., the trailblazing company that streamed the first full-length film online, is now adding poker to its offerings. Wi-Fi TV has partnered with Poker TV Network Inc., an Internet TV network devoted exclusively to poker programming, and will now begin streaming poker content straight from its website, www.Wi-FiTV.com. By broadcasting its content via Wi-Fi TV, Poker TV Network is bolstering its worldwide reach. Demonstrating that poker will have a vital presence on the site, Wi-Fi TV has given poker its very own category, distinct from gaming."
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02 Feb 06
888 boosts poker revenues
LONDON (Reuters) - Online gamblers flocked into 888 (888.L) poker rooms in the fourth quarter, sending poker revenues up 22 percent from the previous three months, the company said on Thursday.
'Our new financial year has started well,' the owner of the Pacific Poker Web site said after reporting poker revenues of $36 million (20.3 million pounds) in the three months to December 31. Compared with a year before, poker revenues were up 138 percent.
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01 Feb 06
Poker thieves' trial begins
Feb 1, 2006, 05:03 PM -- kvbc.com -- Two men accused of trying to rob the 2004 World Series of Poker Champion go on trial Wednesday.
Police say Kevin Joy and Deen Cassim attacked poker champ Greg Raymer outside of his Bellagio Hotel room back in December 2004.
Raymer had about $150,000 in poker chips on him. Unfortunately for the pair, the 330 pound Raymer called their bluff and fought the two men off.
If Joy and Cassim are convicted on all charges, they will face up to 60 years in prison.
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01 Feb 06
Illegal in Northern Ireland?
"As reported by UK Poker News and others, the Cavendish Club, a private members club in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was the subject of a major police raid last weekend during the height of the club's major monthly poker tournament, resulting in the seizure of members' cash and the club's poker equipment.
The Cavendish's representatives yesterday attended the Magistrates Court to challenge the seizure of monies by the authorities and argue the case for poker being a game of skill, which would exclude it from being an illegal activity in Northern Ireland under the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act."
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01 Feb 06
Ireland’s First €1Million Tournament
(PRWEB) February 1, 2006 -- Paddypowerpoker.com in association with Liam Flood and the Merrion Casino Club today proudly announce details of the 25th Irish Open poker tournament to be held in Jurys Ballsbridge Hotel, Dublin over 14, 15, 16, 17 April 2006.
This historic event is now one of the richest in world poker – the main event has a €1 million prize pool guaranteed and €50,000 added by paddypowerpoker.com. The €3,000 entry (plus €200 registration fee) main event starts Saturday 15 April at 4pm and will attract the top names in poker from Ireland, Britain, Europe, the US and beyond. The final table will play down to the winner on Monday 17 April.
Players can qualify on paddypowerpoker.com from just €10 – the online qualifier who places highest in the Irish Open will also receive a package worth $12,500 to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas in August . Satellites will also be held in card clubs and casinos throughout Britain, Ireland and Europe.
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31 Jan 06
APN announces $.5M Freeroll
"The Action Poker Network has announced that they will be offering a $500,000 Freeroll Tournament, which gives players the chance to win without paying an entry fee.
The tournament will run from January to October and will pay winnings to the Top 30 place getters. The winner of the final table in October will receive $200,000 in prize money."
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31 Jan 06
Travel Holds Onto 'POKER'
January 31, 2006 -- THE Travel Channel and the producers of 'World Poker Tour' have kissed and made up following a brief legal brawl.
The cable network and the producers of its most popular (and poker-boom-spawning) show, 'World Poker Tour' — WPT Enterprises — have settled a legal spat sparked last fall when ESPN showed an interest in picking up a new poker show from WPT.
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31 Jan 06
Celebrity Poker Hot-Spot: Doylesroom.com
San Jose, Costa Rica (PRWEB) January 31, 2006 -- DoylesRoom.com today announced the participation of A-list celebrities Kevin Connolly and Nicky Hilton in the DoylesRoom.com Celebrity Bounty Poker Tournament.
Kevin Connolly stars in the Golden Globe nominated HBO hit series "Entourage.” Nicky Hilton is the younger of the Hilton sisters and heiress to the Hilton hotel fortune. Both will compete alongside other celebrities in the tournament.
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31 Jan 06
Preacher Praises Poker
As reported by the Calgary Sun: 'Thou shalt play Texas Hold 'Em', says a city preacher known for his ability to connect God and pop culture.
Pastor John Van Sloten intends to preach to his congregation about the positives of poker during his sermon tomorrow at the New Hope Christian Reformed Church."
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30 Jan 06
Getting Started With Poker
"Begin with a book. There are many good reads on the game. One that many players have started with is Winning Low Limit Hold 'em by Lee Jones, who is also associated with the online poker Web site PokerStars.
For tournament play, Anne Arundel County accountant Steve Dannenmann, who finished second and won $4.25 million in the 2005 World Series of Poker main event in Las Vegas, recommends Harrington on Hold 'em - Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments: Strategic Play by respected pro Dan Harrington and Bill Robertie.
'What people need to do is exercise patience,' said Dannenmann, who also finished fifth in the Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas, winning $100,000."
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30 Jan 06
Negreanu Wins Again
"Daniel Negreanu won the WSOP Circuit Championship at Grand Casino-Resorts in Tunica, Mississippi. The $10,000 buy-in World Series of Poker Circuit championship event attracted a field of 241 players and offered a prize pool of $2,289,500. Daniel's win paid $755,525 and is the first major victory for Negreanu in more than a year. Holder of three WSOP gold bracelets, the 2004 Poker Player of the Year ends the string of tournament losses from the past year. Some of his lackluster year may be attributed to his increasing involvement his business interest. The Wynn poker room deal took up the first six months of 2005, and Daniel writes a syndicated poker column carried in 40 newspaper...read by millions. He does all of that, stops in Tunica and wins it all."
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30 Jan 06
Child Genius Likes Poker
"Few are immune to the worldwide poker craze, not even pint-sized Chinese whiz kids. Indeed, Zhang Xinyang, the child who made headlines last year for becoming the youngest college student in mainland China, is also a poker fan. When he's not hitting the books at Tianjin University of Technology and Education, Xinyang is hitting the poker felt. Poker is just one of the activities little Zhang enjoys when he's out of the classroom."
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27 Jan 06
Poker’s Biggest Night
"The first Card Player Player of the Year Awards Gala will undoubtedly be one of the most talked about events of the awards season. And (Men) Nguyen will always be remembered as the recipient of the coveted top prize on the night poker went Hollywood and honored professional poker players with a celebration unprecedented for a game that has vaulted out of casinos and card rooms, and into the mainstream.
Alongside such legends as Doyle Brunson, the masterful recipient of Card Player’s 'Lifetime Achievement Award', Nguyen and many other stars will be honored in the event that marks top achievements during a breakthrough year for poker."
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27 Jan 06
PartyGaming revenues surge
"PartyGaming PLC, the world's biggest online gaming group, reported a sharp rise in quarterly earnings, beating expectations, after luring record numbers of new poker players and introducing new games such as blackjack.
'We returned a strong performance from our poker business while our casino business' performance was nothing short of outstanding. Trading has remained strong since the start of the year,' chief executive Richard Segal told reporters ...."
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26 Jan 06
$1M Online Poker Tournaments, Free!
"From now until July 21 2006, poker players everywhere have the opportunity to test their skill at the poker tables, and earn their spot in the final event on July 22, 2006. Three daily tournaments will allow players to advance to the big event, with the chance to win $1,000,000. In addition to the million dollar top prize, $150,000 will be shared among the top 500 players.
For additional information on this record-breaking event, and to receive a free entry, visit www.texasholdem-sites.com/million.html.
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