Bad Beats in Poker: We all get them handed to us, and not only do we lose the money, but everyone goes on tilt for at least a hand or two so we can lose more of our poker bankroll!
Tournament Schedule St. Maarten Spring Poker Showdown April 29 to May 8, 2006
Call 1-800-582-8069 now to get your seat!
Easy-Sign-Up for Discount Travel Package
Also:
St. Maarten Beaches,
Poker Tournament Schedule,
Cash Games,
Poker Satellites
Email-Contact
:
December 19, 2004January 09, 2005January 30, 2005February 06, 2005February 13, 2005February 27, 2005March 06, 2005March 13, 2005March 20, 2005April 03, 2005May 01, 2005May 08, 2005May 15, 2005May 22, 2005May 29, 2005June 05, 2005June 19, 2005June 26, 2005July 03, 2005July 10, 2005July 24, 2005August 07, 2005August 21, 2005August 28, 2005September 11, 2005September 18, 2005September 25, 2005October 02, 2005October 09, 2005October 16, 2005October 23, 2005October 30, 2005November 06, 2005November 20, 2005March 05, 2006
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
May 18, 2005
By Rebecca Mowbray,
Business writer
Poker players from throughout the country are expected to arrive in New Orleans this week to play their hand in the first World Series of Poker Circuit tournament at Harrah's New Orleans Casino.
New Orleans is one of five cities to get a regional tournament affiliated with the World Series of Poker this summer in Las Vegas.
Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which bought the World Series of Poker last year, created "circuit," or satellite, poker tournaments in Atlantic City, N.J.; San Diego; Las Vegas; Lake Tahoe, Nev.; and New Orleans this year to expand the event and capitalize on the game's growing popularity.
The circuit events do not feed into the World Series, but are designed to involve more people throughout the country. The top 20 winners here will play in September against winners from other satellite tournaments in the Tournament of Champions, which is separate from the World Series in Las Vegas.
New Orleans will gain national television exposure on ESPN for hosting the event.
"The beauty of having New Orleans as the last stop is we've generated excitement all along the way," said Dan Nita, senior vice president and general manager of Harrah's New Orleans. "When it's televised over the summer, people will say, 'Wow, I'd like to come to New Orleans.' "
Nita said that having Harrah's New Orleans host a regional event was a natural fit because the casino has the biggest poker business of Harrah's 28 properties. Harrah's New Orleans has expanded the size of its poker room twice in the past few years, to 23 tables, and business is up 60 percent to 70 percent this year alone, Nita said.
"We could have 50 tables," Nita said.
Poker has long been popular in the New Orleans area, where an early form of the game first migrated from France in the late 18th century, but it has only recently become a craze around the country.
Television coverage of poker has exploded in recent years as networks such as ESPN and the Travel Channel have figured out how to turn footage of stone-faced poker players into gripping reality-TV dramas by placing tiny cameras to allow viewers to see the players' cards and analyze their moves.
Indeed, the World Series of Poker is the third-most-popular event in ESPN's dramatic series and movie division, ESPN Original Entertainment, with 1.5 million households watching the 22 one-hour episodes of the World Series of Poker in 2004. This year, ESPN will increase its coverage to 32 taped episodes, which will run from July to November, said Keri Potts, an ESPN spokeswoman.
And if television has piqued people's curiosity in poker, the Internet has allowed them to practice in private so they don't walk into a poker room and embarrass themselves.
And more people have been marching into poker rooms nationwide. According to a newly released survey by the American Gaming Association, 18 percent of American adults played poker within the past year, up from 12 percent in the 2004 survey.
Many of these players are new to the game. About 19 percent of American adults who play poker began playing within the past two years, according to the American Gaming Association. Although every age group is playing more poker, young adults are the biggest players, with 29 percent of those age 21 to 39 having played poker within the past year.
Those who follow the trend say that poker appeals to people because anyone can play. Most people would never be able to play golf like Tiger Woods, but with practice, they might be able to enter a poker tournament alongside the sport's celebrities, and they might even win.
Another possible draw is the social aspect of the game. It's a way to spend time with friends and family, and it is a competitive sport that requires skill -- unlike solitary games of chance like slot machines.
"It's a reaction against slot machines, which are definitely popular but are more sanitized and sterile," said David Schwartz, director for the center for gaming research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who writes on the history of gambling.
The poker trend is a mixed blessing for casinos, Schwartz said. Casinos don't make much money from poker rooms; slot machines are more profitable. But poker can bring new and younger people into casinos, where they might take to other forms of gambling or bet their poker winnings.
Harrah's New Orleans doesn't expect to make huge profits from hosting the poker tournament, but the nationwide television exposure is invaluable. "That brand has tremendous equity, particularly in light of all the television coverage," Nita said.
The poker tournament runs in New Orleans through May 28. Players can earn spots in the tournament either by qualifying in events that started here in March or by paying a few hundred dollars to enter.
In September, the top 20 winners from New Orleans will automatically be entered into a $2 million World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions with the top 20 from the other circuit cities.
Meanwhile, the 36th annual World Series of Poker, which is separate from the regional circuit tournament, will begin June 2 at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas and conclude July 14 and 15 at the Horseshoe Casino in downtown Las Vegas.
Next year, after Harrah's proposed merger with Caesars Entertainment Inc. is completed, the World Series of Poker Circuit is expected to spread to more cities.
Rebecca Mowbray can be reached at rmowbray@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3417.
Advertise on The Poker Web via Poker Media Group and reach your customers through our network of 50 poker related web sites.
# by Poker Absolute @ 7:29 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
May 17, 2005
Source: pokerzone
A Poker and Casino Lifestyle Channel Dedicated to Providing the Highest Quality Poker and Entertainment Programming To UK SKY Viewers
LONDON -- pokerzone, SKY CHANNEL 226, officially launches today at 2pm and is set to take the game of poker to a new dimension. Poker has become a huge worldwide phenomenon (over GBP 100m is staked at online card rooms worldwide each day) and its popularity has spread as far as the rich and famous in Hollywood with A-list stars such as Ben Affleck and Matt Damon being keen players. pokerzone will offer an unrivalled selection of modern and exciting poker and casino entertainment to more than 8 million digital TV homes and global broadband subscribers.
pokerzone features more than just pre-recorded poker tournaments. It is an action-packed, lifestyle channel including; poker-themed classic movies such as The Man with the Golden Arm and exclusive inside track documentaries exploring the history of poker and interactive gaming.
To kick off pokerzone's launch, they will be airing exclusive coverage of the world-famous 'Monte Carlo Millions' poker tournament, sponsored by The Prima Poker Network, at 7:00pm, followed by pokerzone's regular live participation format, 'Poker Night Live', at 9.30pm. 'Poker Night Live' is the world's only televised online poker tournament, directly fusing the internet and the television. The nature of the format allows players from across the world to compete on live TV at bespoke, online tables. Pro commentators, Greg 'The Axxeman' Winters and 'Dr.' Tom Sambrook take players late into the night with their analysis of live online tournament action.
"British poker is going crazy," says commentator Greg 'the Axxeman' Winters. "The poker boom is massive and television is the next step in this phenomenon. " Poker programming already attracts more than 1.3 million viewers a night - and pokerzone is set to be that audience's primary destination."
Jim Sibcy, Managing Director of pokerzone said, "Being a part of this launch is an exhilarating experience. The number of internationally renowned British poker players has rocketed over the last year and we are very lucky to be working with them all."
Tune in to Sky Channel 226 at 2pm on Wednesday, May 18th
About pokerzone (www.pokerzone.tv)
Pokerzone - SKY CHANNEL 226, is the brand new poker and casino lifestyle channel and offers a well-informed and highly charged alternative to all existing entertainment channels on the SKY platform.
pokerzone programming features include exclusive tournaments, movie nights, never-before seen documentaries, classic entertainment series and a selection of interactive gaming options.
Contact:
Lyceum Media
Press Team
Megan Whiteside / Inka Ikonen
+44 (0) 207 828 6988
megan@lyceummedia.com / inka@lyceummedia.com
OR
pokerzone
Esther Whitehead
Marketing Manager
+44 (0) 208 104 0412
esther.whitehead@pokerzone.tv
Advertise on The Poker Web via Poker Media Group and reach your customers through our network of 50 poker related web sites.
# by Poker Absolute @ 9:51 AM
0 comments
Monday, May 16, 2005
May 16, 2005
Source: New Haven Register
A jack and a six, and they're not even the same suit. That's my hand.
A 50-person no-limit Texas Hold'Em tournament and I'm at the final table. It's down to two people: me and Donald Lee from Philadelphia.
It's 1:30 a.m. and about 80 people, including Kenny (Deon Richmond) from "The Cosby Show," are gathered around the table, which sits in the middle of Foxwoods Resort Casino's poker room. While pros and amateurs look for the right hand all around us, Don and I try to figure out what cards might finally end this more than six-hour tournament.
Texas Hold'Em is the very popular seven-card stud variation featured on various TV shows, including Travel Channel's "World Poker Tour." And, believe me, there are plenty of things to think about during each hand.
To figure out what to do with my jack and six, I think about all I've learned over the last 17 hours at the World Poker Tour's Boot Camp.
Held at Foxwoods Saturday and Sunday, 50 folks from all over the world anted up $1,495 to learn the nuances of poker from a couple of the sport's best players: WPT Ladies Invitational champion Clonie Gowen and poker professional Rick Fuller.
"Poker's always situational," explains Gowen, who's been playing for almost two decades. "When I was learning poker, I thought I knew how to play, but it wasn't until many years later that I found out how to really play poker. If I was able to take a class like this, I would have saved tons and tons of money."
The WPT Boot Camp is a two-day event that limits classes to around 50. My fellow classmates and I spent from 9 a.m. till 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday listening to engaging lectures and participating in various labs that helped us understand common poker situations.
"Basically, I want to get more knowledge," says Wendy Garner of Hamden, who plays poker online a few times a week. "I do it as a hobby and I picked it up quick, so I started playing more and betting a few bucks here and there. I'm doing (the camp) to get the knowledge to make it possible to play in games at casino tables."
Garner's reason for taking the course is similar to most who attended. "The people who tend to come to the Boot Camp," explains the event's co-founder Ron Rubens, "are people who like poker, maybe play a lot online, but have been intimidated by playing in casinos. I think they are looking to have a great time and improve their poker game. If they are going to do it, wouldn't it be better to win more?"
The Foxwoods event marks the fifth for Rubens and company, and, he says, the thing that has been most surprising is how many people use poker as a social experience.
Sarah Jacobs of Shelton came with her father, Dan, and says the social aspect is her favorite part of poker. "It's recreational and there are a lot of younger people," she says, "so it's become really fun. And if I'm addicted to poker and love doing it, I might as well get good at it. It's really an investment."
Jacobs started playing poker at a very young age and her background and proficiency in the workshops led Gowen to choose her as someone she thought would make the final table of our tournament.
My real lack of experience became clear during a preliminary 10-person game Saturday. This was supposed to help us get ready for the big 50-person, multi-table event. Well, it took me 19 hands to lose; I was the second person eliminated at my table.
Needless to say, I wasn't a favorite to make the big tourney's final table, which is formed when only 10 players are left from the game's initial five tables.
But here I was with my jack and six and at that table.
Somehow I survived the early play and thanks to basically drinking two cups of coffee at once, I managed to stick around - and stay awake - for the final table.
I started in the middle of the pack, chip-wise, in the finals. I bid aggressively any time I had a decent hand and, somehow, amassed a lot of chips. I think I might have been yawning when I realized I was the chip leader.
After that, I started betting big, sometimes without any kind of hand. Players started dropping one by one until it was just Don and me.
My jack and six versus whatever he's got in his hand.
After the three-card flop and the turn, I have nothing, still a jack high. Don doesn't bet at all, so I know he's got nothing, too.
On the river, my jack comes out.
I decide to check to him, hoping he'll think I still have nothing and try to steal the pot with a large bid. He does it by saying "all in." I immediately call and hold my breath. I'll win if he has nothing.
He turns over his cards: queen and four.
I win, and if I can win something like this, you know that the WPT Boot Camp worked.
During the entire tourney, I thought about odds, outs, pot odds, "folding the nuts," raising three times the blind, bad beats and more. They're words I had never even heard before, and after six hours of playing, I will probably have nightmares about it for days.
Patrick Ferrucci can be reached at pferrucci@nhregister.com or (203) 789-5678.
Advertise on The Poker Web via Poker Media Group and reach your customers through our network of 50 poker related web sites.
# by Poker Absolute @ 8:12 AM
0 comments
Atom-RSS