The West Coast Poker Player

I am sure some of you are planning to visit Las Vegas during the sizzling WSOP months of summer.Here are a few updates:
Room rates appear reasonable this year but beware added resort fees. A casino can achieve page1 status on the cost comparison
sites by dropping the base price but adding,the despised,compulsory fees. These usually include free internet access but that is
available at all McDonalds and Starbucks.For example a $20 room at Palace Station actually costs $38 and $48 one at MGM...

I lived my first 42 years on this planet without being robbed. I mean, I lost to runner-runner flushes a couple of times, people came back from needing three snookers after outrageously doubling the green, and sometimes I had a chip or the odd onion ring stolen off my plate, but overall I ran quite well in terms of people setting out to assume ownership of stuff which I'd gambled my fingers to the bone to own.
Then in 2010 I had a small setback.
I can't even remember now whether I had...

WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel previews the 2012 WSOP. He also explains how the new rule changes and the $1 million event brings fun back to the tables.

Five-O Poker Betting Bouncing off the success of version 2, the Five-O Poker Team have launched the newest addition to the game: Betting. And in our opinion, betting was the only thing missing from the previous version. It’s poker, after all! apps.facebook.com/fiveopoker Betting In Five-O Poker Betting, once all five hands are down, we are introduced to a single round of betting. This adds another element to the game: in Classic Five-O you could have a killer set of hands, but you could only win the table blind. Now, you can maximize the amount you win from good hands. Better yet, when you wind up with a poor hand and know you’ve probably lost it, you can turn things around and steal the game. Hidden Card In Five-O Poker Betting, the 4th row of cards is dealt face down, instead of the 5th row as in the Classic version. We weren’t sure why they made this change, until we played it a few times. It adds a sense of uncertainty and actually emphasizes the importance of bluffing in the round of betting. Let’s take an example hand: Opponent                                You A                                             K A                                             2 2                                              6 4                                              5 3                                              K In the Classic Five-O, by the fourth card, they pretty much know they have you beat. Your opponent will most probably dump a useless fifth card onto that column. But in Five-O Betting your fourth card is hidden, so your opponent may not be so quick to assume they’ve won that hand. In the example above, your fourth card could be a 2, 6, or even another K, which would beat their seemingly strong hand. Suddenly your opponent is unsure and will be more vulnerable to a confident bluff in the round of betting. New Design The tables and user-interface have been given a new design in Five-O Betting. There is a Dealer Chat Box that displays the betting activities, but it’s the little things like the new circular timer and the blue felt table that make you feel like you are playing a premium version. To encourage people to play the new version they’ve given every user a chip prize, so go make the most of it and let us know what you think apps.facebook.com/fiveopoker window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({ appId: "175450535822505", status: true, cookie: true, xfbml: true }); }; (function() { var e = document.createElement("script"); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js"; document.getElementById("fb-root").appendChild(e); }()); Bouncing off the success of version 2, the Five-O Poker Team have launched the newest addition to the game: Betting. And in our opinion, betting was the only thing missing from the previous version.

Amarillo Slim
Vicky Coren wrote a column about poker legend Amarillo Slim.

He was six foot three, but taller in his high-heeled boots and 10-gallon hat. The hat was wrapped in the skin of a rattle-snake that he claimed to have killed himself. He'd been gambling in dusty American state...

Andrew Feldman talks to Shawn Rice about his experiences with the late Amarillo Slim.

Although I was never in doubt that the GPS Leg 2 in London was going to be the most popular stop of the Genting Poker Series, still I would have not have predicted it to be a total sell out!!
Genting Poker Series580 players entered the main tournament, which created a whopping prize pool of 232k and a sweet 50k for the winner:) Not a bad pay for a weekend’s work!...

The Ironsides
Last month, Barny, Ram, Joe and Ross left 26 women with smiles on their faces. Sadly, no hot tubs, sex toys or well-thumbed copies of the Kama Sutra were involved, but the occasion was still a happy one for everybody, with the possible exception of divorce lawyers. The Battersea Ladies football team – sponsored by the Hendon Mob – manage...

This one was sent in by David Blane.
At the Boylepoker IPO, the largest live event I had played, I was dealt 88 in middle position and raised. Everyone folded and the dealer pushed me the pot, whereupon I returned my cards. I'm always very deliberate about the order of this. Then a French guy two to my left, who I couldn't see clearly, said he still had cards. The TD was called and ruled I give him my freshly stacked chips as his was the only remaining live hand. Surely this can't be right?...

A listing for all 61 bracelet events for the 2012 WSOP, May 27th through July 16th.

Sport psychology is the study of how psychological factors affect performance. Similar to sports, poker is a game where psychology plays a major role in the outcome. My publishing company released a book by Travis Steffen titled Peak Performance Poker. This book looks at how diet, nutrition, and exercise can impact one’s cognitive abilities. There is also a chapter on sports psychology where Travis discusses popular sports psychology techniques such as self-talk, countering,...

As the one-year anniversary of Black Friday approaches, Andrew Feldman talks to John Pappas of the PPA about recent legislative updates and Olivier Busquet about how his life has changed over the past year.

Last month I looked at how to get rich playing poker. I considered there to be two ways: 1) the Joey Knish way – of grinding, day in day out, until you’ve made enough to call yourself rich; or 2) the easy way. The easy way was, I admit, a bit of a con in that I said that you had to get lucky. To be honest, this isn’t really what the easy way is about. The easy way is about putting yourself in situations where you’re more likely to be lucky and then, crucially, knowing...

Las Vegas Team Challenge is an online league which works on a simple premise. You enter the league by registering a team of 4 members and then play up to two tournaments online each week for 3 months in order to collect as many points as possible for your team.

Las Vegas Team Challenge
The higher your finishing position is in an online game the more points you earn for the team.
This is very important as in...

Unleash Your Hidden Poker Memory
Excerpted from Unleash Your Hidden Poker Memory: How to Win at Texas Hold’Em by Turning Your Brain into a Poker Tracking Machine by Bennett Onika.
This is not a how-to-play-poker book but a book on how to train yourself to instantly recall vast amounts...

This one happened to Darren Sprengers, a Mob Forum regular.
Player A shoves all in and it is Darren’s turn
Darren says to dealer "How many chips does he have"
Dealer says without counting the chips "around 8500 chips"
Darren checks his own stack and calls.
Player A wins the pot and the dealer counts his stack and says that will be 13500 chips
Darren says "hang on you said 8500 chips, if it was 13500 I would have folded"
How do you rule?...

Poker is one of the most beloved gambling card games in the whole world that has spread its popularity online. And now, billions of people are trying their hand playing the game!

No one really knows where poker was rooted from, but historians have argued about its origin. What you will read below are some of the ancient games that are somehow connected to the eventual development of poker.

They say that poker is very similar to the Old Persian game called “As Nas” and they have concluded that it could be the origin of poker. This is a five-player betting game that uses a deck of twenty-five cards that has five suits.

In the 16th century, a gambling game called “Primero” was very popular in Europe which has a lot of similarities to poker. Another ancient game from France called “Brelan,” and the English game “Brag” or “Bragg” use the element of bluffing and betting, making it candidates of poker’s ancestors.

Up to now, the game of poker is played in the world by many despite not knowing the real origin and history of it since gamblers back then didn’t bother to record its evolution. Nonetheless, the game of poker continues to entertain the world.

It was in the 1970s when the World Series of Poker Started. And since then, the WSOP is held each year. The Internet and television both have a hand in further popularizing this tournament. Now, there are hundreds up to thousands of poker players joining poker tournaments, whether it’s online or offline!

Before, people would have to fly to Las Vegas, rent a room in a hotel, dress up and wait in line to play poker in casinos. But today, people need only to log on their computers and sign up in online poker sites to play poker. No need to drive or fly to a casino house in order to play. You can now enjoy it wherever you have an internet connection!

Online poker rooms like Sportsbook.com prove to be more economical than real poker rooms. It is fast-paced and is one of the biggest gambling games online!

A tournament is where you can test everything you’ve known about poker, challenging others head on and outwitting them. Joining one means you must have a solid strategy and a few handy tricks up your sleeve to prepare yourself in the battles ahead. This is like going to war! One does not enter war without a strategy for it will spell your defeat.

You should also take the time to be comfortable with the game. It can be a daunting experience, so be cautious!

Musicians do rehearsals before their big shows. They would always have the feel of being onstage during rehearsals to prepare for their ultimate event. This can also be applied when joining a tournament. You can play a table and imagine you are at the last table of the tournament where every chip counts and your every move can determine victory or defeat. This will help you develop skills necessary in real tournaments.

A great strategy to utilize when beginning at a single table tournament is to play with only premium hands in the first three rounds. Slowly open up and play more hands and get more aggressive as the tournament goes on, and as shorter handed the tournament becomes.

By slowly building your bankroll and getting within one or two spots from the money, it will be easier to win over the more desperate players trying to take their money back. Continue playing aggressively and jump on the chance at taking more of their chips.

Your standard poker play should always stick to your chosen poker strategy. Fold often, use your bluff sparingly, and always be aware of the habits and tells of the other players involved in the game. Be prepared and be aware of the types of players at your table and use their habits against them. Studying the other players at the beginning of the game will arm you with useful information that will help you deep into the game. An early bluff can also be an effective strategy in your game as what early folds do. Your aggressive play should intensify deeper into the game. But at the same time, you should be playing a smart and disciplined game. It is always easier to get aggressive when you feel in control, so observe, study and play it tight!

One more thing, don’t jump into tournaments of you are not prepared. There will be more out there and you can always take the time to practice and improve. Try going at it at Sportsbook.com!

Poker chips are available online and if you know what you want to buy, a little research online can do wonders and can even save you money for you to gamble on your next game.

High quality poker chips are quite scarce in small cities, but there are abundant stocks of plastic poker chips in their neighborhood. Even if they can find good quality ones, they would probably have price tags that soar through the roof. That means the best option is to look online!

If you have no idea what sort of chips you want, then going to a shop can be your first option. There you can have a feel of them, try the weight of the chips in your hand and more. Try if you like the 9 gram or the 12 gram chips better, listen to the sounds they make when you clink them together. Do they feel natural sliding onto the table as you ante up?

Once you have tried all those things then you would have a better idea of what you would look for online. Remember the price tags attached to them since you will be comparing them with the online chip prices.

Now you can order for the same chip that you liked at the store at a fraction of a cost online!

There are also sites available that may be able to help you decide what the best poker chips are for what you need. There is a wealth of information waiting to be discovered if you do a bit of research. Information such as chip durability that would last a lifetime will make you go for the composite chip that is made out of clay and another material. If you want something inexpensive but strong then try resin material chips. But if you want those chips that you see in casinos, then go for the clay chips.

The variety of poker chips online is massive, and you will always find something that you want. If you want to know more about poker chips and casino games then visit wikicasinogames.com. They have information on poker chips, how they’re made and more!

Playing poker can really reward you with lots of money. That is, if you know about poker’s secrets! In order to become a pro poker player from a poker pooper, you should start playing Texas Hold’em and learn all the tips and tricks of the game. A lot of players have unraveled the secrets of poker. They did well and weren’t bored with it. They ended up mastering the game, and at the same time gained profit from their invested time.

Texas Hold’em is probably the most popular poker variant available today. Players are dealt with two cards facing down and five community cards for the players to utilize. They try to make the best hand possible with the available cards and they can bet several times: after the first two cards are dealt and then after the next three, the fourth or the fifth cards. The terms used are flop, turn and river. This poker variant is very popular and the no-limit form is used in the WSOP Championship (World Series of Poker).

There are many ways on how you can improve your skills on the game of Texas Hold’em since simply searching online can help you find articles that tell about its secrets and many tips to keep in mind when playing it.

You can try visiting wikipokerroom.com and be able to get news, updates on just about anything about the poker world, and get guides and tutorials as well on how to improve and hone your skills. This site is a community where a lot of poker players from all over the world share ideas and help one another to better themselves in the game of poker.

Another secret that a lot of people overlook when playing online poker is the software. Always choose the software that you are comfortable playing with. If you are not comfortable or happy with the software then move to another site and check what kind of software they have and if it were any better.

Choose a table that matches your level or a table that is below your own so you can take advantage of the players’ weaknesses. Also, don’t forget about poker cheats like collusions so choosing a good table can spell victory or tragedy.

Learn to fold and leave the table once you have lost the amount you are willing to lose. Take a breather and come back some other time.

These secrets can help you become a pro soon enough with the right training. Most of all, don’t forget to have fun since this is a game that is played to be enjoyed.