28 Dec 05
Poker on the air
"Poker is prevalent when you look at the television listings but, lacking for a few one-hour programs, radio has been left out of the mix. What would it take to have a 24/7 radio station that did nothing but poker? You needn't ask that question anymore as "Hold 'Em Radio" is on the air."
Full Article
27 Dec 05
Poker = $60 Billion in 2005
According to a recent report by the company that does market research for the likes of Coca-Cola and Phillips online poker gamblers wagered an estimated US$60 BILLION dollars in 2005. Net rake was expected to have been well over $1 billion and the majority of experts interviewed said they agreed that poker was now driving the online gambling scene. That doesn't sound much like a fad that's on the outs, now does it? Unfortunately said report is selling for about $500 so you might want to bum a copy if you get the chance.
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27 Dec 05
One you won’t want to miss
"The 2005 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions had everything: big names, big personalities, championship-level poker, a multimilliondollar prize pool, and even a little controversy. Mix it all together with a little gift giving and some trash talk, and you have must-see poker TV."
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26 Dec 05
Here we go again
It seems the Christmas sales have ignited another round of speculation that Poker's star is "fading". The appearance of poker chips and collector decks in the Boxing Day bargain bins seems to be enough to prompt the industry watchers to conclude that the big ride is over. Perhaps it's understandable that the same folks who had no clue as to what started the ride in the first place might be grasping at straws to see the future but this latest prediction seems a bit weak. Was it really players buying all that poker tat in the first place?
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23 Dec 05
Nguyen wins Player of the Year championship
"It came down to the final tournament of the year, but Men 'The Master' Nguyen rode a late season charge to first unseat Californian John Phan from the first place slot and then ultimately to take the Poker Player of the Year championship."
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23 Dec 05
UK Poker Stocks Rock
"While the poker craze started in the United States of America, countries with more accepting gambling laws are the ones cashing in on the industry, and Britain is no exception. In 2005 three companies floated publicly on the London stock market after the industry had raked in over one billion Pounds. PartyGaming lead the charge, with five hundred million Pounds in revenue and floated for over four and half billion Pounds."
Full Article
22 Dec 05
Do you bluff in the buff?
"Paddypowerpoker.com today released preliminary results from its forthcoming report “Poker 2006: The State of Play” revealing that:
• Over 50% of all poker players have played the game naked or in their underwear.
• More than 10% have injured themselves playing poker.
• Around 33% would forfeit their partner for $1 million.
• About 60% would rather play poker than have sex.
• Almost 40% have lied in order to play poker.
• Approximately 35% believe Gerry Adams would make the best poker player amongst British and Irish politicians."
Full Article
21 Dec 05
Paradise Poker's second $1m freeroll
Santino Sgambelluria, a Naval Officer stationed in Hawaii with with wife and two children, has emerged as the winner of ParadisePoker.com’s second million-dollar freeroll. The freeroll was held in the Bahamas and after a field of 4000 entries had been wittled down to 10 for the final table, the playoff happened this past Sunday. Unlike so many other final tables however the finishing line-up came in exactly the order they arrived. Sgambelluria lead from the beginning with a million more chips than his fellow players.
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21 Dec 05
Hachem dodges the big chop
This really has been Joe Hachem's year. Not only did the Australian poker player win the world's richest poker pot to become the latest World Series main event champ, but now he's been blessed by his local tax office too. Ruling that his A$10m winnings are non-taxable because they were not "professional" income has effectively doubled his take. That's one a heck of a hobby he's got going there.
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20 Dec 05
Interview: Mike 'The Mouth' Matusow
Some folks think 'The Mouth' is a shlump, others think he's pretty hot stuff. Either way the man has been playing good poker lately. If you'd like to learn more about the guy check out this great interview over at BluffMagazine.com
Full Article
20 Dec 05
BLUFF names 'The Poker Power 20'
"ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 19, 2005--Poker is a game of power: The power to be courageous, the power to win with nothing in your hand but a fistful of determination and the power to turn rags into royal flushes. Bluff Magazine polled a panel of industry heavyweights and poker pundits to identify the most powerful and influential names at the final table of the poker industry - 'The Poker Power 20'. This definitive list ranks individuals and organizations based on their demonstrated ability and willingness to be an evolutionary force in the industry."
Full Article
19 Dec 05
Brunson's offer lingers
Remember that $700m offer several months ago made by a group fronted by Doyle Brunson to buy out WPT Enterprises Inc.? Yeah, the one that increased WPT's stock value by 50% in two days only to have it crash back down once "the group" declined to put anything on the table. Turns out the feds are more than a little curious about the whole thing too. They haven't said "pump and dump" yet but everybody else has.
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19 Dec 05
Need an Agent?
Good at your game but not sure know where to go with it? If you think you're good enough to be listed with the likes of Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, and Erick Lindgren then the guy you want to talk to is Brian Balsbaugh. He's a poker agent and those guys are all his clients. He may have started out running golf tournaments but now he brings the first-tier poker names together with the major online sites and the big corporate sponsors and everybody is makin' money.
Full Article
16 Dec 05
$1M or the finger?
Ever heard of SaveMyFinger.com? Supposedly it's a bid by one Carl V. to get 2,000,000 people to visit his site before 18 April 2006 ... or else what? Carl says if he gets the visitors then he'll play heads-up with a buddy of his for $1M. If he doesn't hit the magic number then they play for his right index finger? Of course there's an online site, PokerRoom.com, who has graciously offered to host the game. Chalk this up as Lame-o Promotional Scheme #172.
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16 Dec 05
Cheating the Spotters
I like DVDs as much as the next person but somehow this DVD on poker cheating is hard to take very seriously. 'Cheating at Hold’em (The Essentials)' by the Double George company purports to teach the viewer all about such clandestine tricks as "peeking" and "flashing". As a healthy sceptic once asked, who's zoomin' who?
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15 Dec 05
Tournaments for Beginners
"Online Poker and Online Casino operator Bodog.com has launched beginner online poker tournaments. For years, tournaments have usually been the domain of more experienced players. Winners must outlast around 90% of their opponents in order to win, which means that only the most seasoned and experienced players are willing to take up the challenge..."
Full Article
15 Dec 05
Tournaments For Mac Users
"Maconlinepoker.com announced on Thursday that Mac users can participate in online poker tournaments and play Texas Hold'Em at its Web site. Since the games are all played through a web browser, no additional software is needed to participate. Additional information about the available games and tournaments is available at Maconlinepoker.com"
Full Article
14 Dec 05
Kids + Poker = Criminals?
So there's this university kid from Pennsylvania who supposedly robbed a bank to pay off his online gambling debts. His debts? $5000 His haul from the bank? $2871. Proof that he was just a good kid driven to crime by his terrible addiction? "Class president, son of a Baptist minister, second cello in the Lehigh University orchestra, chaplain's office assistant." Of course this doesn't answer the question of why he thought holding up a bank was the proper course of action. The old saying should be updated: poker players don't rob banks, criminals do.
Full Article
14 Dec 05
2005: LOTS of Poker Books
"The key word for poker in 2005 is more; more players, online and in cardrooms; more TV coverage of tournaments around the world (who would have believed that the affable Norman Chad could become a celebrity?); and more entrants in the World Series of Poker. But the poker boom has been felt in another sphere entirely: publishing. In 2005, more than 70 books were (or will be) published on the game, ranging from the sublime (Dan Harrington’s two volumes on no-limit hold’em tournament strategy) to the ridiculous (Penn Jillette’s specious book on how to be a poker cheat)."
Full Article
13 Dec 05
WPT Heats up in Early 2006
"There will be no rest for the professionals even though the holiday season is upon us. The 2005 poker tournament trail will wrap up for the season in a couple days, and a short two weeks later they'll have to have their games in shape to kick off the 2006 season. The World Poker Tour is going to be a major part of that kickoff!"
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