Poker News - Fresh news from the world of poker

WSOP Europe Main Event

2007-06-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

The World Series of Poker will be staged outside of Las Vegas for the very FIRST TIME – you can join the action at the first WSOP Europe Main Event in London, on September 6-16, 2007.

We will save you a seat at the WSOP Europe Main Event if you win our WSOPE Super Satellite. We offer TWO INCREDIBLE CHANCES allowing you to get yourself on the plane to London to partake in the very first WSOP Europe Main Event.

Play in our Hold'em No-Limit Super Satellite on June 16th, at 19:20 GMT and get a chance to win a $22,000 Prize Package, or play in our Pot Limit Omaha Super Satellite on June 27th at 19:20 GMT and win a $12,000 Prize Package.

Prize Packages include buy-ins, flights and accommodations!

Our weekly WSOP Super Satellites, awarding seats at the Las Vegas tournament, take place every Sunday at 19:00 GMT.

A Guide to 'Other' Poker Tournaments Running During the WSOP

2007-05-30T00:45:00.000-07:00

I think just about every poker player who will be anywhere near Las Vegas this summer knows there will be a little tournament running at The Rio. This year's World Series of Poker will have a record number of events (55), a permanent temporary structure for over fifty extra tables, new rules, new staff, new sponsors, and new media coverage. The 2007 WSOP will be the biggest 'series' of events ever offered in one place at one time in the history of poker.

Now remember this all happens in Las Vegas, a town that on a normal day offers over 100 poker tournaments. Lest you think all the other properties in town will be offering fewer events to avoid competition with the big happenings at the Rio; think again! Not only will most venues be offering their regular schedule of tournaments, several properties are stepping up their tournament schedules to draw some of those WSOPers into their poker rooms.

The Bellagio Cup III, which set to take place from June 11 to July 15, will offer 27 No-Limit Hold'em tournaments ranging from $1,500 to a $10,000 Main Event (A World Poker Tour event, we might add). Six Super Satellites for the $10K event will be run and the Main Cup Event itself begins on Day Two of the WSOP Main Event, which means any player who does not survive Day One at the WSOP can hop right over to Bellagio for the Cup III Main Event.

The Venetian is running its Deep Stack Extravaganza II from June 1 to July 1. The first Deep Stack series this spring was a big success. The buy-ins for this mix of tournaments run from $330 buyin for a 6,000 starting chip structure to several $540 and $1,060 events with 10,000 starting chips. The Venetian tournament schedule also includes a HORSE event, a limit Hold'em tournament as well as an Omaha8 and a Pot Limit Omaha offering. The blind structures in these events really do afford a lot of play to the deep starting chip stacks.

Caesar's Palace is also adjusting its tournament schedule for the WSOP players. At Caesar's, beginning June 3rd, they will run three tournaments a day right through the end of the WSOP. At noon everyday at $200 NLHE with 4500 chips and 40 minutes rounds. At 7 PM Monday through Thursday, a $330 NLHE event, again 4500 chips and 40' rounds; on Friday, Saturday and Sunday the buy-in goes up to $540 and if there are 100 players or more in these tournaments the winner will receive in addition to the cash prize, a seat in the inaugural Caesar's Palace Classic this October with a guaranteed first place prize of One Million Dollars. This will be the first US tournament outside of the WPT or the WSOP that will guarantee a $1M first place prize. Finally, at 11 PM each night at Caesar's, there will be a $120 NLHE tournament with 2500 chips and 30 minute rounds.

Binion's, the former home of the WSOP, is running a very interesting Poker Classic this summer, which will mirror the WSOP events at one-tenth the buy-in. WSOP Ladies event is June 10th for $1,000, so Binion's will run their Ladies event on the 9th for $100. Most events will be what the WSOP is offering the following day. There will be a total of thirty-four events at Binion's, running each day at 2 PM from May 31st to July 4th. Buy-ins range from $100 to $1,000; with the majority of the events being in the $100-$150 range. Binion's will be using their regular tournament structure, which is very generous and provides a lot of play.

The 2007 Orleans Poker Open this year will overlap the very end of the WSOP. Beginning on July 14th (Day Six of the WSOP Main Event) and running through Jul 29th, the Orleans Open begins with a series of $330 events leading up to a $1050 Main Event. The schedule at the Orleans includes NLHE, Omaha8, Stud, Stud 8, a LIPS Ladies Event and the Oklahoma Johnny Hale Senior's Charity tournament.

Finally, every other poker room in town will continue to run their own schedule of daily tournaments and cash games; if we discover any other events luring the WSOP crowd to other poker rooms, we will let you know.

Ocean's Thirteen

2007-05-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

PokerStars is giving you the chance to win tickets to the US premiere of this summer's Hollywood blockbuster "Ocean's Thirteen" in Los Angeles!

The film's main cast, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle, as well as producer Jerry Weintraub, have launched "Not On Our Watch" (NOOW) , a charity which aims to focus international aid and attention to the plight of the residents of Darfur, Sudan.

PokerStars.com has the distinct privilege to be a part of this fantastic project and we're going to get things going with a $1 million donation to the charity.

But it's not enough. We need your help to make an even bigger difference. You can help us and, most importantly, the people of Darfur by taking part in the special charity tournaments we are hosting. As a thank you from PokerStars, we'll be throwing in some fabulous prizes along the way too. See below for details:

Ocean's Thirteen Darfur Charity Tournament Information:
Buy-in:
$10 + $0
Re-buys:
$10
Registration Opens:
May 27th 2007 at 13:30 ET
Tournament Starts:
May 27th 2007 at 15:30 ET

What prizes can be won?
• Tickets to the June 5th Ocean's Thirteen premiere in Los Angeles, including 2 nights accommodation and $2,000 towards travel and spending.
• Autographed copy of the Ocean's Thirteen DVD PLUS we'll be running a third charity tournament (date still to be announced) where you could take home a professional poker table baize, signed by the Ocean's Thirteen cast!

What goes to the NOOW charity?

Along with the $1 million donation, every buy-in and re-buy in this tournament will be matched dollar for dollar by us, and donated to NOOW.

PokerStars' players JaspudUF, SM4RTASS, herbert, and berchem13 will all be on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival on May 24th just for playing in our May 13th charity event, so make sure that you don't miss your opportunity to see and be seen at one of the years biggest film premieres!

For complete information on the tournaments, prizes, charity efforts, terms and more, please visit our Ocean's 13 Charity event page.

Do you want to donate to NOOW directly? Use your PokerStars accountto transfer your donation:

If you want to donate direct to the charity it couldn't be easier. To transfer funds simply go to the main lobby, then to Requests, and drop down to Transfer Funds. Type in the UserID NOOW and the amount you wish to donate. The funds will then be taken from your account and credited to the charity. All money will go directly to the charity and PokerStars will match all funds donated!

NOTICE: Any money contributed to Not On Our Watch through PokerStars may not be considered a tax-deductible donation in some jurisdictions.

Thank you for your help and support.

Regards,
The PokerStars Team

U.S., Germany, Sweden Involved in Online-Gambling Legal Issues

2007-05-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

Several legislative events in recent days continue to define Internet-based gambling as a battleground between national interests and the market freedom inherent within international trade compacts.

The United States, as expected, allowed the World Trade Organization's deadline to pass without filing a final appeal in its ongoing trade dispute with Antigua & Barbuda over online gambling. This officially opens the door for Antigua to escalate other trade sanctions and penalties, and Antigua seems poised to waste little time in pursuing the matter. The International Herald Tribune quotes Antigua Ambassador John Ashe today from WTO home city Geneva, as follows: "Not only do we think that members should press claims for compensatory adjustments as a matter of economic self-interest, but we also believe it is important that the process is made as difficult as possible for the United States." It's an open invitation to all WTO members to pursue financial penalties and other sanctions against the United States. Elsewhere, a ruling from a German court has resulted in the throwing out of a case between the German state of Bavaria and Austrian online bookmaker bWin. Late last year a Bavarian law was passed attempting to prevent bWin and other firms from marketing their services in competition with official state-supported outlets, but that ban was prevented from being put into effect by a higher court pending resolution of the case. Now, the entire case has been thrown out, again freeing bWin to accept Bavarian wagers.

A state-supported gambling business was also in the news in Sweden. Several published reports indicate that Sweden, already cited by the European Union for its failure to open up its market to outside interests, will not break down Svenska Spel, the state-run monopoly. Instead, in an end run reminiscent of UK Chancellor of the Exchequer (and soon to be Prime Minister) Gordon Brown, Sweden will officially end the monopoly but implement stringent fees and requirements intended to discourage any real competition to Svenska Spel. Whether this passes EU muster remains to be seen.

Haley Hintze

Roy Rounder - Techniques For Winning At Online Poker (1)

2007-05-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

Roy,

I had one question to you. Wouldn't you advise calling with all pairs even with when facing araise?

I play 25 NL on Party and I will call a raisewith any pair as long as the raise is less than10% of the opposing players stack. My thinking,with a monster hand like AA or KK that he israising; when I do hit my set I am taking his whole stack.

So I hit my set statistically 1 in 8 times andcall any raise with any pair as long as its 10% orless of a players stack. I make most of my moneyon the no limit tables doing this.

My basic strategy is to raise the same with everyhand as to not giveaway my hand.

AA, KK - raise 8 times the big blind (which is $2on a 25NL table) and if someone has raised beforeme I usually put them to the test and reraise 3times the amount they have put in or go all in.

AK, AQ - I raise 8 times the big blind if no onehas raised in front of me. If someone has limpedor no one has entered the pot I will raise 8 timesthe big blind. If the pot has been raised beforeme, I will only call if I have a decent read onthe player.

QQ, JJ - I raise 8 times the big blind if no onehas raised in front of me. If someone has limpedor no one has entered the pot I will raise 8 timesthe big blind. If the pot has been raised beforeme, I will call and play cautiously post flop ifI don't flop trips or my pocket pair is not thehigher than the board.

AJ - This hand has gotten me in trouble. I usuallylimp in or call the big blind. I throw away to anyraise before me and usually fold it if a raisecomes behind me.

1010, 99, 88, 77, 66, 55, 44, 33, 22 - call thebig blind. maybe raise 1010 and 99 in lateposition if no one has entered the pot. I willcall a raise up 10% of the raising players stack.Post flop I know where I stand if I hit my set ornot, or my pocket pair is above what the boardshows.

I usually move tables quickly after I double mystack up, because most players will learn how you play and its hard to get action on raises afterthey learn you play real hands and push with them.

- S.

Best Online Poker

>>> MY COMMENTS:

Wow. What great insights. You've hit on some KILLER strategies here that canbe instantly implemented to win more money atonline poker.

First of all, I noticed that you said, "My basicstrategy is to raise the same with every hand asto not giveaway my hand.

"This is brilliant. I often employ this techniquemyself, because it keeps your opponents COMPLETELYoff-balance... guessing at what you're holding.

You also brought up a great point about the valueof hitting trips when you wrote, "When I do hit myset I am taking his whole stack.

"This concept can be taken FURTHER...

In online poker, IMPLIED ODDS are a more importantconsideration than in offline poker. The reason isbecause of the dominate LOOSE-AGGRESSIVE style of play...

When you make a significant bet, your chances ofgetting action are much higher than in youraverage home game or casino.

That's why I like to limp-in with suitedconnectors... because if I hit my flush orstraight I'm CONFIDENT that I'm going to win ahuge pot from someone.

The key is to NOT "chase" your outs. Don't stay ina hand and call all way down to the river withyour draws... it's not worth it. Bet the drawupfront, and if you get raised just muck it.

As for your question regarding pairs...

It sounds to me like you're playing RING GAMES and not Sit and Go's. When I play a low-stakes ringgame, my strategy is about the same as yours.

The biggest difference for me is that I hate getting up and moving tables so frequently. I'vefound that when players begin losing money to you,they often WON'T STOP. They'll just keep losingmoney... DETERMINED to beat you.

And of course, that's when you get the WINDFALL of profits from them... since they're on tilt andOUTRAGED that they can't seem to break you.

What I'll do is show an occasional bluff... oreven get busted on a bluff... that way they remainconfused about my style of play.

Remember: No limit Texas Holdem is PSYCHOLOGICA LWARFARE. As soon as you find a "fish" you canconsistently beat, don't leave! Just keep playinguntil THEY decide enough is enough.

OK, back to pairs. When I'm in a ring game, I willcall small raises with pocket pairs, in hopes ofbusting my opponents.

But in Sit and Go's I'm more cautious. And thereason is simple...In RING GAMES, I'll often play the "odds". Yes,there's a 1 in 8 chance that I'll make my trips. And so I'll play my pairs and take down huge potswhen I hit.

But in SIT And GO'S I can't always afford to putmy chips into the middle. Remember, there's only ONE MAIN STRATEGY for Sit and Go's...

SURVIVAL.

If you don't make it to the top three players in a10-man Sit and Go, you're not in the money, whichmeans you've FAILED.

And in your average Sit and Go, you'll probablyonly get a pocket pair once or twice (or maybe afew times if you're lucky) before the field getsdown to three players.

So what I've found is that it's often better forme to LIMP-IN with my pocket pair and hope fortrips. If someone makes a decent raise, I'llusually muck it unless I'm the chip leader.

Thanks for your comments man... and keep up the good work,

Roy

Can Ivey climb to a WPT win today?

2007-05-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

He's got five World Series of Poker bracelets to his name, but so far a World Poker Tour win has eluded Phil Ivey. His next shot at it is today though as he bellies up to the final table of the Mirage Poker Showdown in Las Vegas.

Perhaps the stats will finally align for Phil Ivey, who's made six World Poker Tour televised final tables. The closest he got to a win was in the 2003 Championship when he came in second to David "Devilfish" Ulliott.

Despite being considered one of the most intimidating players in the poker world, he's not going to have an easy time getting the win.

Ivey is going into the final table today as the chip leader with 1,395,000 chips, which may sound impressive, but Canadian Cory Carroll is right on his heals with 1,235,000 in chips.

Also sticking around the top of the pack is Darrell Dicken making his second WPT final table appearance and bringing with him 1,203,000 in chips.

The full final table will be:

Seat Name Chips

1. Richard Kirsch $810,000

2. Jonathan Little $956,000

3. Cory Carroll $1,235,000

4. Phil Ivey $1,395,000

5. Darrell Dicken $1,203,000

6. Amnon Filippi $571,000

Some of the players who fell by the wayside as yesterday wound down to Season 6's first final table include David Pham, Shannon Shorr, Randy Holland, Nam Le, John D'Agostino, David Matthew and more.

They'll be slinking away into the shadows while the six remaining today will get plenty of spotlight under the watchful eyes of the television cameras when play starts up again at 5 p.m.

courtesy of Sarah Polson

Action begins: Bodog.com lays WSOP odds

2007-05-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

The cards don't hit the table at the 2007 World Series of Poker until June 1, but the action has definitely started: Bodog.com has laid out its initial WSOP odds, and there's no shortage of ponies to lay your money on.

Among the wagers tabled already: Who will win their 11th bracelet first: Brunson, Chan or Hellmuth? (Hellmuth is favored at 2-1). Which Phil will last longer in the Main Event, Ivey or Hellmuth?(Ivey at -140).

Which former champ will last longer in the Main Event? (Carlos Mortenson at 3-1). Which internet pro will last longest? (Alan "BodogAri" Engel, Cliff "JohnnyBax" Josephy, Shane "Shaniac" Schleger, Eric "Rizen" Lynch and Kevin "BeL0WaB0Ve" Saul are all at 3-1).

And so on. Take on the All-Canadian last longer bet among Gavin Smith, Brad Booth and Daniel Negreanu. Bet on past Main Event runners-up, the longest-lasting female player, which member of Team Bodog (Josh Arieh, David Williams, Evelyn Ng) will win a bracelet and what color the cards of winning hand be.

Or maybe the most salacious: The love triangle last-longer bet among Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilly and Antonio Esfandiari.

courtesy of Christopher Hunt

Titan Poker Review

2007-05-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

Titan Poker is one of the leading poker rooms on the iPoker network initiative developed by PlayTech. The network took a hit with the U.S. poker player ban but is recuperating fast and has a high influx of players. Games are somewhat loose with lots of casino players and new recruits. There are often some very high-value promotions through both PokerListings and other channels, which continuously draw players to the site.

Titan Poker and the iPoker network have been successful in quickly building a strong connection with the strategic backing from the world's second largest casino software provider. The software has an innovative and good-looking interface with colorful and attractive graphics. The functionality is good, and the early minor glitches in the software have since been fixed. Games offered include Hold'em, Omaha and Seven-Card Stud Hi, Omaha Hi and Hi-Lo and ring games, as well as heads-up, sit-and-go and multi-table tournaments.

Titan Poker also offers plenty of tournaments and freerolls with great value. The traffic volume overall is in the middle segment of the industry. Real-money player statistics as of May, 2007 show 5,700 ring-game players at peak hours, and 27,500 tournament players at peak hours.

Overall Titan Poker offers relatively loose games and decent software that plays well even though the game pace is on the slow side. The software is updated frequently to ensure safety and stability, with little downtime as a result.

Total Score: 8,5 out of 10

Department of Justice freezes $9.25 million

2007-05-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

Online payment processor Citadel Commerce has revealed $9.25 million in funds belonging to its online gambling merchants has been frozen by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Elaborating on an earlier release, which simply announced an indeterminate amount of funds had been seized, the Burnaby, B.C.-based Citadel, a subsidiary of ESI Entertainment Systems Inc., has now set the figure at $9.25 million.

"All of these funds are Merchants' Reserves related to Internet gaming," the company said in a statement released May 14, "except for approximately $941,000 of Citadel's own capital."

"The company is continuing to work with the Department of Justice through its legal counsel to resolve the situation."

Citadel is the latest in a string of online payment processors targeted by the Department of Justice since the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in October 2006.

The company had, however, ceased taking online gambling transactions from U.S. customers in January.

Citadel also recently announced they are moving their operations from B.C. to Malta.

courtesy of Christopher Hunt

Poker Stars and Movie Stars Use WSOP for Darfur

2007-05-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

Movie stars have always seemed to be draw to causes, and poker players are more of the same, as evidenced by the "Ante Up for Africa" event being held during the 2007 World Series of Poker this summer in Las Vegas. The event, the brainchild of pro poker player Annie Duke and Ocean’s 13 star Don Cheadle, will bring poker pros and Hollywood actors together to play for the Darfur Survivors. While stars like Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Jason Alexander, Ray Romano, Adam Sandler and James Woods will play, along with poker pros like Phil Hellmuth and Clonie Gowen, anyone can play in the $5k event, taking place June 5.

Weekend Poker Roundup

2007-05-21T10:08:00.001-07:00

The first main event of the new WPT season kicked off this weekend at the Mirage in Las Vegas. The $10,000 WPT Mirage Poker Showdown began on Saturday with 309 players. Heading into Day 2 action on Sunday there were 144 players remaining. The leader was Davidson Matthew with $156,625 chips; his closest competitor was Daniel Alaei with $141,125 in chips.

The tournament began with a number of big-name poker pros, but many of them did not survive Day 1, including Daniel Negreanu, Dan Harrington, Jennifer Harman, and Jeff Madsen. The last player standing at the Mirage will be paid $1,066,295. Here’s how the rest of the final table will be paid:

Final Table Payouts:
1. $1,066,295
2. $561,369
3. $259,369
4. $172,912
5. $129,684
6. $100,865

The WSOP Circuit finishes up their season this week at Harrah’s New Orleans. The $5,000 main event begins on Monday, with the final table scheduled for Wednesday. This is the final WSOP Circuit event before the World Series of Poker begins in June.

The last reported winners at Harrah’s were Terry Garner and Nisan Cohen. Garner, from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, earned $82,566 after outlasting 265 other players in a $1,000 No Limit Hold’em tourney. Cohen, from Gainesville, Florida pocketed $84,468 after outlasting 621 other players in a $500 No Limit Hold’em tourney.