Top Online Poker Rooms

Top Online Poker Rooms - Celtic Poker Player

2005-12-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

Dec 1, 2005, Tony Cascarino, the former pro Celtic athlete, has set his sites on making a fortune in a new career, working hard as a professional poker player. The former striker and record maker in the nineties for the Hoops, has plans on a casino at Ibrox, but not just any casino. For the big athlete it has to be a super casino.

Paired with Scot poker pro Tony Chessa, Cascarino flew off to St. Kitts to work on the plans. Chessa is the only officially sponsored poker tournament pro out of Scotland.

Both players have received more than Ј6000 in order to show their skills against the best players in the world, competing for a $2million pot at the Caribbean Poker Classic.
Cascarino began his poker career three years ago, when he won part of the World Series of Poker this year in Las Vegas when he netted a five figure purse.

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Poker All-Stars Square Off for 2005 Tournament of Champions

2005-11-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

LAS VEGAS -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Many of the biggest names in poker will descend on Caesars Palace next week to compete for $2 million in total prize money at the 2005 World Series of Poker® Tournament of Champions, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: HET) said.
The free-roll tournament is expected to feature, among others, the nine millionaires from the 36th annual World Series of Poker's Main Event final table as they go for another seven-figure payday. A free-roll is an event in which none of the participants is required to pay a "buy-in" or entry fee to compete.
The Tournament of Champions will be played Nov. 6 through Nov. 8. The winner will receive $1 million. ESPN, the exclusive broadcast partner of the World Series of Poker, will provide comprehensive coverage of the event, which is scheduled to be telecast from 1 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time Dec. 24, 2005.
"This is poker's All-Star event," said Jeffrey Pollack, vice president of sports and entertainment marketing for Harrah's Entertainment. "Some of the top names in the game will travel from around the globe to Caesars Palace for a chance at a huge payday and bragging rights."
"The Tournament of Champions will be a great culmination of our World Series of Poker coverage this year," said Fred Christenson, director of programming for ESPN Original Entertainment. "With its high-stakes action and some of the best known players in the game, we expect this event to draw very strong ratings."
"Caesars Palace has a long history of hosting world-class sporting events, and this one-of-a-kind tournament will continue that legacy," said Gary Selesner, senior vice president and general manager of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. "This promises to be a spectacle no poker fan can afford to miss."
In all, nearly 120 players earned invitations to the Tournament of Champions. In addition to the nine players who made the final table at the 36th annual World Series of Poker Main Event, top finishers in five World Series of Poker Circuit events held in the 2004-05 season are also eligible. Among professionals who've committed to play are 10-time World Series of Poker bracelet winners Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan, and nine-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.
The World Series of Poker is owned and operated by Harrah's Operating Company, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Harrah's Entertainment. Caesars Palace is a Harrah's-operated casino.

Poker challenge in Las Vegas

2005-10-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

October 28, 2005 - The newest event on the poker horizon is the Poker Millionaire Challenge. The inaugural poker tournament is scheduled to be held in Las Vegas from April 21-28, 2006. The Poker Millionaire Challenge is offering freeroll satellites through an online poker room.Apparently a number of poker professionals are on board to attend the PMC including Daniel Negreanu, Kathy Liebert, Annie Duke, Andy Bloch, Evelyn Ng, and TJ Cloutier, among others.The prize pool for the inaugural tournament is estimated at $2.5 million dollars.

Top Online poker rooms and TNT's poker series

2005-09-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

TSN isn't bluffing with poker series
By ROB BRODIE -- Ottawa Sun

The poker craze, it seems, isn't dying down anytime soon. If anything, it continues to mushroom. Witness the creation of the Degree Poker Championship, the first all-Canadian version of the popular Texas Hold 'em duel. It's a project that's been in the works for a year at TSN, with the first of four shows airing last night.

It's an all-Canadian affair featuring "everyday" people, said Adam Ashton, TSN's VP of marketing. "The thing we asked ourselves was 'How do you create an authentic Canadian poker tournament championship to find our next undiscovered star?' " he said. TSN conducted an on-line registration for the free poker tournament in the spring and received more than 20,000 responses. Out of that group, 2,000 were randomly selected to compete, equally split into regional poker tourneys at casinos in Niagara Falls and Richmond, B.C.

Forty-five players -- five tables of nine -- made the finals, which were taped at Niagara Fallsview Online Casino Resort in June. The first of four parts of the TV presentation aired last night, with the others tonight, Sept. 23 and Sept. 24. The latter episode includes the $100,000 final and a bonus $1 million final hand poker showdown. Ashton said TSN hopes to draw about 170,000 viewers each night. The entire series has been shot in high-definition format.

So what's the appeal of it to viewers? Ashton believes a lot of it has to do with the way TV presents it. "People at home know what's going on," he said. "To see that unfold is the real drama ... it's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster."

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Top Online Poker and Poker's Popularity

2005-09-06T17:56:00.000-07:00

By Luis Gomez of the Union-Bulletin (Sept 6th, 2005)
In the Old West you might have been shot at a poker game. Fast-forward a couple of hundred years and today you might get a shot at winning millions in a matter of seconds. Or at least that's how poker TV makes it look, some folks would say. In fact, some of those same folks would tell you that Texas Hold 'em is not about odds or luck. It's about skill.

It's not a new game but poker, particularly Texas Hold 'em, has become a cultural phenomenon over the last few years, spawning countless online poker rooms, books, game kits, magazines and poker tournaments. Younger players are turning up at casino tables, waiting to make that big break. The 1998 movie 'Rounders,' a dramatic tale of two, slick, fast-winning poker players, inspired David Abajian to join the booming number of young faces at the Goldstrike online casino, on Ash Street in Walla Walla. 'It's a good mind game,' said the 18-year-old. ''I use my mind more playing poker than in anything else.' Texas Hold 'em is a beastly breed of nerd and slick: a combination of mathematical probability and hustling.

The beauty of the game: Anybody can beat anyone at any time,' said casino dealer and tournament champion Ted Newman. The 30-year-old local man competed at a Goldstrike Casino tournament and won a spot in a Reno, Nev., tournament last year. His strategy is to play passive-aggressive and set the other players in a trap, he said. He was no match for professionals like Men the Master' Nguyen or Dan Harrington, he conceded. All these young people, they see it on TV and say, Oh yeah I can go play and win,' but they don't,' said Ruben Ornelas, 38.

The boldest example to come out of a free poker tournament in Las Vegas is the story of Chris Moneymaker - his real name - who started out playing Internet poker rooms.
A $40 game won him a spot at the 2003 World Series of Poker. Within three days, Moneymaker talked out a millionaire. The way I see it...it's people that don't have a good job can make a lot of money in a matter of days,' said Abajian. But it's a huge risk. About $115 out of his hard-earned money goes into playing poker every week, he said. In reality, that's a minimum amount.
Goldstrike dealer Alfredo Garcia says the amounts of money per game depend on what the limit is. Some games may range between $300 and $2,500. At a small-scale tournament, a minimum of five players at a table can start with a small bet of $5 and raise it,' or double, that amount each time a community card is drawn. By the time the fifth card, dubbed the river,' is dealt and when most players fold out of the game, a mountain of chips accumulates to big money,' Garcia said.

Players get really excited to know they have a chance at winning a big pot and just knowing you have the best hand...it's an adrenaline rush,' he said. Ornelas, who has been playing for 20 years, says there is a thin line between a good player and a bad player. Good poker players know when to hold 'em' and when to fold 'em.' Bad players run on luck. The luck runs for so long and then you run out of luck,' he said.

But players like Abajian are far from discouraged. I think if you're good enough to play, it's worth (taking the risk),' said Abajian, who considers himself a good player. You also have to know when to quit.

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Top Online Poker Rooms - Jennifer Tilly Poker Tournament

2005-09-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

September 5, 2005
Jennifer Tilly has won her second major poker tournament, and confidence in her playing poker ability.
"I felt like I was suffering from the 'impostor syndrome,' " said Tilly, who jumped from the table after her win. "I had these niggling self-doubts. But now I know I can really play. These women were extremely tough poker pros with blood lust at the poker table."

Tilly's victory at the World Poker Tour Ladies Night III at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles on Thursday makes her the first poker woman to win that title and the World Series' Ladies World Poker Championship.

The win guaranteed her a spot in the $25,000 buy-in WPS Championship in April.
The actress, an Oscar nominee for her role in the 1994 film "Bullets Over Broadway," has been playing the game for a year. She said she learned pointers from her boyfriend, poker player Phil "Unabomber" Laak.

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Top online Poker Rooms - Noble Poker

2005-08-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

Dallas, TX -- (ArriveNet - Aug 31, 2005)
-- Noble Poker (Online Poker) recently announced that they will continue to give away $1 million dollars to anyone who can win 7 consecutive sit no go poker tournaments. This bonus million is on top of the normal prize pools. Noble Pokers says they have seen so much praise from the million dollar giveaway that they will continue to promote the million dollar giveaway.

Noble Poker is now run by the owners of Empire Poker but the software and the promotions will remain the same. Noble Poker’s old owners have sold Noble to Empire and now the old owners have created Titan Poker (http://www.titanpokerroom.com/) which will launch on September 1, 2005.

Titan Poker Room hopes to gain a part of the market created by the World Series of Poker. Many poker affiliates say that the WSOP brings in many new players to the online poker world.To view Noble Poker and the million dollar giveaway visit http://www.noblemillion.com/ To view Titan Poker after Sept 1, 2005 visit http://www.titanpokerroom.com/

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Top Online Poker Rooms, Quest of Champions

2005-08-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

30 August 2005
This Labor Day weekend, the top poker players will be doing more than just barbecuing a steak or two; they'll most likely be heading down to the Palms Casino Resort to vie for a spot at POKER: Quest of Champions. The one hundred players featured at the September 4th event will be divided into ten shoot-out tables of ten.

The winner of each table will then advance to the Quest of Champions final event, slated for the week of New Year's. The winner of the final event will take home the largest single prize in the history of tournament poker- $15 million dollars. With its record-breaking top prize, Quest of Champions is attracting some of pro poker's biggest names, including Ted Forrest, Kathy Leibert, Layne Flack, Barry Greenstein, Men The Master Nguyen, Freddy Deeb, Thor Hansen, Joe Awada, Antonio Esfandiari, and Rene Angeli.

The event has also attracted the attention of celebrity online poker players such as James Woods, Michael Vartan, and Mimi Rogers. POKER: Quest of Champions kicks off September 4, 2005 at 1 pm.

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WSOP and Top Online Poker Tournaments

2005-08-25T00:25:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 24, 2005
Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET) said today the World Series of Poker 2005 Tournament of Champions (TOC), a $2 million, free-roll tournament, featuring a select group of poker's biggest names, will be held November 6-8 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
The final nine players from the World Series of Poker's 2005 main event are eligible to join more than 100 top players who qualified for the TOC at five World Series of Poker Circuit events earlier this year. The event will be taped for telecast by ESPN.

Among those eligible to participate in the TOC are top-ranked professional players, such as: Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Antonio Esfandiari, Jennifer Harman, T.J. Cloutier, Chris Ferguson, Robert Williamson, Russ Hamilton, Yosh Nakano, Michael Mizrachi, Tony Le, Eric Cloutier, and Mimi Tran.

Other qualifiers include reigning WSOP 2005 Champion Joseph Hachem, who won $7.5 million at this year's main event, and fellow final-table millionaires Steve Dannenman, Derek Barch, Aaron Kanter, Andrew Black, Scott Lazar, Daniel Bergsdorf, Brad Kondracki, and Mike Matusow.
The TOC is a free-roll event - players aren't required to put up any of their own money to enter - that will award $2 million in prize money. First prize will be $1 million, second $325,000, third $250,000, fourth $150,000, fifth $100,000, sixth $75,000, seventh $50,000, and eighth and ninth $25,000.

"This Tournament of Champions is just one way of saying 'thank you' to the skilled and talented players who have helped make the World Series of Poker the richest sporting event on the planet," said Jeffrey Pollack, vice president of sports and entertainment marketing for Harrah's. "We're especially proud to host it at Caesars Palace, the premier luxury brand in the Harrah's portfolio."

Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., is the world's largest provider of branded online casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada 67 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions.

On June 13, 2005, Harrah's Entertainment acquired Caesars Entertainment, Inc., and now owns or manages through various subsidiaries more than 40 casinos in three countries, primarily under the Harrah's, Caesars and Horseshoe online poker brand names. With nearly 4 million square feet of casino space, more than 40,000 hotel rooms and nearly 100,000 employees, the Harrah's portfolio is the most diverse in the gaming industry. Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.

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Top Online Poker Room Harrah's Buys Casino on Strip

2005-08-23T23:24:00.000-07:00

Harrah's buys casino No. 6 on Strip:- LAS VEGAS
August 24, 2005 2:11:55 AM IST

Harrah's Entertainment has paid $370 million to buy Las Vegas' Imperial Palace, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Tuesday.

The deal gives the gambling giant six major resorts in the center of the city's coveted Strip.
The 2,640-room Imperial Palace sits on 18.5 acres between Harrah's Las Vegas and the Flamingo on the east side of the Strip and across the street from Caesars Palace
Analysts said the acquisition gives Harrah's numerous development options, a likely one of which is demolishing the aging Imperial Palace to build a new facility.

The only property missing from Harrah's center Strip portfolio is the Barbary Coast, which is owned by Boyd Gaming Corp.

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Top Online Poker Rooms and Online Regulations

2005-08-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

By Amy Yee in New York Published: August 20 2005 03:00
Last updated: August 20 2005 03:00
"About to bluff. About to raise," read the tagline for a series of poker advertisements from the gambling website Bodog.com that recently ran in Esquire, the US men's magazine. The same could be said of the hesitant dance between the booming online gambling industry and US authorities bent on keeping it in check.

Until recently, mainstream US media have largely avoided taking ads from online gaming companies. But it is becoming harder to do as publishers with sluggish ad sales are wooed by gambling websites flush with cash.

The popularity of televised poker has fuelled a boom in online gambling. And this summer's flotation of PartyGaming.com in London, which valued the Gibraltar-based site at about £5.6bn reflects keen investor and consumer interest in the booming industry. Revenue is expected to grow to $18bn by 2008 according to Dresdner Klein and Wasserstein, the investment bank.
US authorities consider online gaming illegal, but companies running it are based overseas, where US law does not apply. Most gambling websites accept bets from US punters.

In 2003 the US Department of Justice warned poker media outlets that accepting ads from online gaming groups constituted "aiding and abetting" illegal activities. The US has not prosecuted any companies, but the threat has been enough to frighten media outlets. Websites such as Google and Yahoo stopped accepting ads from internet casinos and sports books.
But as online gaming continues to grow, media outlets are being tempted and gambling companies are finding ways around the law.

Bodog's advertised this spring in Esquire and Fast Company, the US business poker magazine. But Esquire staffers later received subpoenas from the DoJ, prompting the magazine to sever a multi-million-dollar contract for more ads later in the year.

Calvin Ayre, chief executive of Bodog.com, considers the DoJ crackdown unfair. "They're only going after high-profile people they think they can embarrass," he says, adding that many smaller gambling magazines in the US take ads from online gaming companies.

Other marketing efforts have been scuppered. UK-based Sportingbet.com co-sponsored a race car with Mazda in the American Le Mans race this spring. But CBS avoided filming the winning car plastered with Sportingbet's logo. Big networks are especially risk-averse for fear of jeopardising their federal licences.

Yet companies are still skirting restrictions. Sporting bet is launching a sports bets. It will be like Wayne's World", says Alex Czajkowski of Sportingbet.

In other evasive tactics, online gambling companies have created television commercials for their play-for-free "educational" gambling websites. These sites, technically legal because they do not involve money, look remarkably similar to their play-for-money websites.

And in another paradox, Yahoo this year launched a real-money betting exchange in the UK and Ireland, where the business is permitted, even though it bans ads from its US site.
This proliferation of online gambling makes curbing the industry like "emptying the ocean with a teaspoon", said one government insider.

Yet another grey area is whether ads are protected under free speech rights. Casino City, an online publisher of gaming now based near Boston, filed a lawsuit against the DoJ claiming authorities violated this right. Casino City says more than half of revenues from its website comes from online gambling advertising.

Some lawyers say ads for online gambling should not be prohibited if the industry is legal in their home jurisdictions. Yet the DoJ insists accepting them still counts as aiding and abetting.
A federal court in Louisiana dismissed Casino City's case, but the company says it will continue to push for a ruling that will clarify the legality of online gambling.

Matters will be further complicated by the eventual regulation of internet gambling in the UK.
"Internet gambling keeps growing and growing," says Joseph Kelly, co-editor of Gaming Law Review. Of the DoJ's stance he adds, "At some time, someone will have to call their bluff."

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Top Online Poker Rooms and Ladies Night at the Bicycle Casino

2005-08-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

13 August 2005
World Poker Tour (WPT) Ladies Night III is coming the California's Bicycle Casino this August 31st, giving entrants the chance to win a seat at the WPT Championship, as well as help raise money to fund breast cancer research. Buy-in for the event is $125 dollars, 20 percent of which will be donated to poker charity.

The poker tournament is two tiered, starting off with a qualifier game, tagged as “Ladies Poker Party.” The winner of the Ladies Poker Party will win a seat to WPT Ladies Night III, slated for the following evening. The winner of Ladies Night, in turn, will win a seat at the WPT championships, worth over $25K.

Notable female poker players expected to turn up for the prestigious event include celebrity poker players Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, Jennifer Parker, and Sarah Rue, as well as current title holder Isabelle Mercier, Aidily Elviro, wife of Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, and more famous names.

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Top Online Poker Rooms Going All In

2005-08-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

Internet gambling may be illegal in the United States, but the sites are minting money,
and investors want some action.

By Brad Stone
Newsweek
Aug. 15, 2005 issue - Jason Kim was on a roll. One night last month, the 33-year-old policy analyst for the U.S. Department of Commerce won $60 in just 15 minutes of virtual, low-stakes Texas hold 'em on the popular online gambling site PartyPoker.com. Playing from his home PC against a half dozen strangers from around the world, Kim won three hands with a pocket pair of aces, a two pair of kings and nines and, finally, by turning a full house from what poker pros disdainfully call "the hammer"—a seven and two of different suits. But when he's not sitting at his computer these days, Kim has a different moneymaking scheme on his mind: betting on the poker sites, instead of at them. Earlier this year he invested in the stock of Internet bank Neteller, which allows players to gamble online with real dollars, and recently he began studying the stock of Party Gaming, the parent company of PartyPoker."Everyone is going to be playing online in a couple of years," he says. "I want to get in before the gold rush really starts."

He may already be too late. Thanks to the never-ending broadcasts of celebrity and professional poker tournaments, poker is now the third most-watched televised sport on cable TV—behind only car racing and football. Business in the roughly 300 major virtual poker halls of the Net is booming, and in late June, five-year-old Party Gaming, based on the tiny European poker peninsula of Gibraltar, was among the first to take a crucial step for any ambitious dot-com: it went public on the London Stock Exchange, where its stock has since shot up 40 percent. Other poker dot-coms are now lining up to follow suit and big American investment funds are throwing in their chips and investing. Only the U.S. casino giants are left on the sidelines, banned from the action because of one remarkable fact: despite its success, online poker is technically illegal in America, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Still, as Web poker booms, the Feds aren't doing much to stifle the party. "Everybody is comfortable that the U.S. government is not going to take any enforcement action," says Las Vegas lawyer Anthony Cabot.

The poker Web sites evade Uncle Sam with a fashionable modern-business strategy—offshoring. They set up their homes in such places as Gibraltar or the U.K. protectorate the Isle of Man, where they are regulated, lightly taxed and free to ride the seemingly unstoppable wave of poker popularity. Every day, 1.8 million players—more than 70 percent from the United States—throw their chips into the virtual pots of the Internet, according to tracking firm PokerPulse.com. Research firm Christiansen Capital Advisors says online-poker revenues have grown from $82.7 million in 2001 to $2.4 billion today—and projects the amount to double once again by 2005. The Party Gaming IPO in June offered a peek into the fortunes being amassed by the online poker start-ups. Its prospectus revealed that the company's profits more than tripled to $349 million in the last year, and it had virtually no debt. While concern over legal issues initially drove the IPO price down, the offering was three times oversubscribed, despite being off-limits to U.S. investors. "This isn't like the dot-com opportunities of the past," says Nigel Parson, a research analyst at Williams de Broe in London. "This spews out cash like you've never seen."
The popularity and success of online poker hasn't changed any minds in Washington. The federal government argues that Internet gambling violates three federal antigambling laws, including the 1961 Wire Act. A Justice Department official, who was able to speak frankly with NEWSWEEK on the condition his name not be used, noted that while Internet gambling is against U.S. law, prosecutors have greater priorities, such as combating terrorism and drugs. "We give what resources we can to it, but it's hard to keep up with," he says.
That makes playing or hosting poker games on the Web a little like going a few miles over the highway speed limit. It's technically illegal, but everyone does it and you probably won't get in trouble. Last month at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, nearly two thirds of the 5,619 players qualified in online competitions. Executives of the offshore poker sites, many of whom were in town for the tournament, seemed untroubled by any potential penalties for their illicit vocation. Banners for their Web sites covered the walls and halls of Harrah's Rio casino, where the competition was held. Similarly, online poker ads have returned to magazines, TV and the Internet, even though the Justice Department asked media companies in 2003 to stop taking them. The poker dot-coms have devised a simple workaround: they advertise their "educational" dot-net sites (such as PartyPoker.net), where players use imaginary money, then leave it to their customers to find the real wagering. This year, two offshore poker sites, Full Tilt Poker and UltimateBet, have even used their dot-net affiliates to sponsor entire shows on Fox Sports.
Even Wall Street can't stand being left out of this high-stakes game. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are reportedly working on the forthcoming IPO in England of Betfair, which helps gamblers place wagers against each other on everything from sports to politics (Betfair does not currently take wagers from U.S. citizens). Big investment funds are also snapping up shares of the Web gambling companies. Fidelity, Goldman Sachs and Blue Ridge Capital—all American firms—are three of the top five institutional investors in the U.K.-based sports-wagering site Sportingbet.com, which trades on the London exchange.

The only players left without a seat at the green velvet table are American companies like the big casinos, and they're frustrated by missing out on the fat stakes. Two years ago, MGM launched a poker site from the Isle of Man that catered only to non-U.S. players. It gave up after two months because customers didn't care to go through the arduous process to prove they didn't live in the United States. Steve Lipscomb of the World Poker Tour, who kick-started the poker craze with a TV show on the Travel Channel, is now trying to make that same everywhere-but-America strategy work with his new poker site. "It's the most inequitable circumstance you can imagine," he says. "Only companies that pay any attention to the regulatory authorities in the U.S. cannot participate in this business."

Everyone else plans to keep pursuing the tempting pot. The online casinos talk about expanding their service onto mobile phones and interactive television. Many experts also predict consolidation in the industry, as firms like PartyPoker, flush with IPO cash, look to gobble up rivals. Meanwhile, Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl plans to reintroduce legislation this fall to explicitly ban online gambling—though versions of his bill have failed to make it through Congress for the last eight years. (His representative declined to give details of the bill, but confirmed it was forthcoming.)
For gamblers like Jason Kim, it hardly matters. Regardless of U.S. policy, there are 80,000 players on PartyPoker.com every night and, he notes with glee, "there are lots of bad players willing to lose their money to good players." As long as that's true—and as long as the primal and sometimes destructive passion for gambling beats strong in the human heart—it would be unwise to place a bet against online poker.
© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.

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Top Online Poker Rooms congratulates Paul McKinney

2005-07-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

Age is a State of Mind: Paul McKinney becomes oldest WSOP winner in history - 80-year-old poker pro wins Seniors World Poker Championship.

Event #34: Seniors World Poker Championship, No-Limit Hold 'em
Location: Rio, Las Vegas
Buy-in: $1,000
Number of Entries: 825
Total Prize Money: $750,750

If this week at the World Series of Poker has taught us anything, it is that poker can be played by people of all ages. Two 71-year-old poker players won open events within the past few days - O'Neil Longson (Event #30) and Doyle Brunson (Event #31).

It was to be expected that an elder player would win Event #34 at this year's World Series. After all, the Seniors World Poker Championship is only open to players aged 50 and up. What is remarkable is that this event was won by someone who is 80. Paul McKinney became the oldest winner in World Series history. At 80 years, 5 months, and 28 days he eclipses the late Johnny Moss. who won his eighth gold bracelet at age 76.

This was the largest seniors' event in WSOP history, with a record 825 players paying $1,000 each to enter. That created the largest prize pool ever in any seniors' event - at three-quarters of a million dollars.

The nine finalists returned for the final table after a long Day One. McKinney arrived third in the chip count (with 86,500). The chip leaders were Bob Hume (with 179,500) and Paul Fischman (with 167,000). Players were eliminated in the following order:

9th Place: Carol Bollinger, $15,015
Carol Bollinger was getting low on chips and tried to make a move with K-5. But Bob Hume decided to call with K-J and flopped a jack. That put Bollinger out in 9th place.
8th Place: Daniel Klein, $22,525
Daniel Klein went out next. He was dealt A-Q and flopped top pair with and ace. But Charles Zeghibe caught two pair (Ks and 8s) and Klein hit the rail.
7th Place: Peter Vilandos, $30,030
After Paul McKinney seized the chip lead, Peter Vilandos made a move at the pot with A-7, which was dominated by Zeghibe's A-9. Neither player made a pair, and Vilandos was out high-carded.
6th Place: Louis Barkoutsis, $37,540
Louis Barkoutsis was the next player to depart. The New Yorker was cleaned out when his 7-7 was crushed by Paul McKinney's A-Q after an ace flopped.
5th Place: Charles F. Zeghibe, $45,045
Charles F. Zeghibe knocked a few players out, then suffered the same cruel indignity. He was blinded down to the short stack, and made a move with A-4 suited. It was a bad time to get creative as Paul McKinney was dealt K-K. The cowboys held up and Zeghibe went out in fifth.
4th Place: Robert Redman, $52,555
Robert Redman went out next. With McKinney still the chip leader, Redman took A-Q up against Bob Hume's J-J. The hooks held up and Redman went out in fourth. Redman has made it to several final tables at the WSOP (his best finish was 2nd in $5,000 Limit Hold'em event a few years ago).
3rd Place: Paul Fishman, $60,060
Paul Fishman played very well in his first-ever WSOP tournament. He was busted by McKinney's nut flush on his final hand.

Runner up: Bob Hume, $106,230
When heads-up play began, Paul McKinney had a marginal chip lead over Bob Hume - 520,000 to 305,000. It took over two hours to finish the seniors' championship. Two hands essentially decided the match. Hume tried to make a move at the pot on the first key hand, and was re-raised all-in by McKinney. Hume quickly folded without showing his hand. But the damage had already been done. Down by about 4-to-1 in chips, Hume tried to make another move at the pot with A-4 before the flop and was re-raised by McKinney with A-J. Hume had no idea his hand was dominated and called. Both players flopped an ace, but Hume needed a miracle. He failed to catch a four, and the tournament was over.

Bob Hume is a 52-year-old professional poker player from Orlando, FL. He has made several final table appearances in recent years at major tournaments. He has also developed quite a reputation as a satellite specialist. He has already won five mega-satellites at this year's WSOP news.

1st Place: Paul McKinney, $202,725
Paul McKinney was philosophical about his record-setting poker tournament victory and first gold bracelet. He shared his secret for success after his victory: "I like moonshine whisky, big cigars, and young women."

The WSOP continues making poker news around vegas. As time would dictate getting close to main event. The WSOP 2005 poker tournament has drawn a major gathering of poker players from around the world. Keep your chin up and playing style in check. Also later this year the WPS poker cruise Christmas in the Caribbean Event leave port Canaveral on Dec 11 for 7 days in the Caribbean. Sign Up today and don't miss the boat on this poker cruise.

Lou Krieger and Top Online Poker Rooms

2005-06-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

ROYAL VEGAS POKER HOST, LOU KRIEGER, TO PEN ARTICLES FOR BLUFF MAGAZINE, 5THSTREET AND THE NEVADA SUNDAY
Will Report on Major Poker Events and Deliver Helpful Tips to Players as Poker Becomes More Popular New York - Lou Krieger, best selling poker author, professional poker player and host of Royal Vegas Poker (http://www.royalvegaspoker.com/),will contribute articles to Bluff Magazine, 5th Street and The Nevada Sunday, effective immediately. Each publication is targeted to poker players of various skill levels and in different geographic regions.

Recently named one of the most influential gaming writers of the past 100 years by Casino Journal, Krieger has written seven acclaimed poker books including Poker for Dummies and The Poker Player's Bible. He also serves as volunteer host of the College Poker Championship(tm).
"Fascinated by poker since learning to play the game at 7 years old, I have been fortunate to turn my passion into a career," said Lou Krieger. "I look forward to having the opportunity to share what I've learned about the game with the readers of Bluff, 5th Street and The Nevada Sunday as the popularity of poker continues to grow."

Primarily written for poker enthusiasts in the United States, Bluff Magazine is available in card rooms, at poker events and on newsstands throughout the country. With 225,000 copies printed and distributed bi-monthly, the magazine's editorial content focuses on delivering the latest information onthe fast-paced modern poker lifestyle. "Bluff Magazine is thrilled to have Lou Krieger as a contributing writer for our publication," commented Eric Morris, Publisher and Co-President, BluffMedia. "Lou has a tremendous following and is considered to be one of themost esteemed poker authors today. His contribution will further cement poker magazine in the market today."

Targeted to a more international audience, 5th Street magazine, includes in-depth feature profiles, poker tournament coverage and tips specifically segmented for beginners and advanced players. According to Ted Elrick, Editor in Chief, 5th Street, "We're very happy tohave Lou as a regular columnist in 5th Street magazine. His Texas Hold'em expertise and unique ability to write in such a clear and concise manner are second to none."

The Nevada Sunday is a new weekly newspaper that is distributed in the LasVegas area. Reporting on local and national poker news topics, The Nevada Sunday is designed to meet the needs of readers in the area with limited time. "Lou Krieger will be the only dedicated newspaper poker columnist in the LasVegas area with his weekly contributions to The Nevada Sunday," stated PaulIsensee, Editor, The Nevada Sunday. "As unbelievable as that might sound, Lou will play a significant role in keeping our readers informed about major poker events and sharing his knowledge to help players improve their poker game."

Lou's views, opinions and commentary on just about everything in the worldof poker can also be found on Lou Krieger's Blog(http://loukrieger.blogspot.com/). About Royal Vegas PokerUnlike any other online poker site, RoyalVegasPoker.com is the place where poker players of all skill levels come to learn and play with the best.Hosted by Lou Krieger, author of Poker for Dummies, Royal Vegas Poker is thesite where thousands of players come to play and > "Beat the Experts," everyWednesday night. A safe, fun and trusted poker room, Royal Vegas Poker hasbeen nominated for both the 2004 Gold Award and 2004 Silver Award for "TopPoker Site" from Gambling Online Magazine, and is a top rated poker site atCasino Meister.

Note: The WPS Poker Crusie Caribbean poker tournament is signing up players for their Christmas in the Caribbean Poker Cruise. Sign up today.

Top Online poker rooms and the WPS poker Tournament

2005-06-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

Poker News Press Release:
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – June 24, 2005 -- Americas Cardroom and BetCRIS announced that they are the official sponsors of the World Poker Showdown Poker Cruise 2005.

The prestigious World Poker Showdown Christmas Caribbean Poker Cruise will sail away from Port Canaveral on Dec 11 for seven nights through Dec 17, with hundreds of players and staff aboard Royal Caribbean's largest ship - the celebrated “Mariner of The Seas” poker cruise ship.

ACR spokesperson Phil Nagy says, “Last year, our fabulous Poker Tournament Cruise 2004 with its large turnout appears to have been just the beginning as it was hailed a magnificent success. We are thrilled that more than twice as many satellite winners and entrants will set sail this year than last year. We are just as excited to see that players have responded in such strong numbers.”

“Everyone is invited to join in on this poker cruise which promises to have more excitement and action than any other WPS poker cruise to date”, says Phil. “Come play poker amongst poker players from all levels - from beginners to professionals, all are welcomed - with poker games for nearly everyone's budget starting with $100+$30 events leading up to the $2,500 main events.

Considering ACR's long rich history in online poker events, the ACR Team looks forward to sponsoring this annual event in order to reward its loyal players. Satellites entries are priced as little as $5.50. Super poker satellites allow players to enter the $2,500 championship for as little as $40. Satellites to begin July 1st.

The large player turnout for the first satellite-qualifying tournament appears to be just the beginning as players can make money and have a chance to win a seat including full cruise accommodations and spending money - all the way up to a week prior to sail date.

Women are poker are especially invited to make this an even more spectacular event. Poker babes from all sorts, from professionals to beginners. It's time to take a stand ladies and show the guys what your made of.

Sign Up today at www.worldpokershowdown.com and don't let this spectacular poker tournament sail away without you.

Top Online Poker Rooms and News WSOP

2005-06-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

Thursday June 2, 4:59 pm ET

LAS VEGAS, NV, June 2 /PRNewswire/ - The World Series of Poker (WSOP,) the largest poker tournament in the world has begun and Sportsbook.com is the only online gambling company offering odds on the top players lined up to compete. Some of Hollywood's biggest movie stars are among those competing with world poker stars like Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen and Scotty Nguyen for the best on the planet title.

Leonardo DiCaprio (250-1,) Ben Affleck (150-1,) Matt Damon (250-1) and Ed Norton (250-1) are all accomplished poker players on the Celebrity tour and will be in the news WSOP field. Sportsbook.com fans wagering on the WSOP do not expect the Hollywood celebrities to seriously challenge the world renowned poker stars.

Poker is now one of the country's largest pastimes - both online and face- to-face, and continues to grow in popularity as more tournaments are created. The WSOP Championship Event takes place July 7 to 15 at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

"There will be a huge audience for this event. Sportsbook.com wants to offer fans a chance to play even if they can't get a seat at the World Series of Poker table," says Alex Czajkowski, Marketing Director, Sportsbook.com. "We offer our players a chance to wager on all of the biggest sporting events and the World Series of Poker is definitely considered one of those events."

Some of the WSOP odds include:
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Phil Hellmuth 40-1 Ram Vaswani 50-1
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Phil Ivey 50-1 Erik Seidel 50-1
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Scotty Nguyen 50-1 Ted Forrest 50-1
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Tuan Le 50-1 Ben Affleck 150-1
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Chris Ferguson 50-1 Matt Damon 250-1
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Daniel Negreanu 50-1 Ed Norton 250-1
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Gus Hansen 50-1 Leonardo DiCaprio 250-1
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There are also several women in the WSOP news. Jennifer Harman and Annie Duke have the highest odds, both at 60-1.
For a complete list of WSOP odds, please visit www.thepokerweb.com

Also coming to you live from eastern fl in December the WPS Christmas in the Caribbean Poker Cruise for online poker players and the such. So sign up today and don't miss the Boat on this one.

Poker Cruise Now. For complete WSOP news visit many online poker sites today.

WSOP Top Online Poker Rooms Bikini Poker

2005-06-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

The WSOP is underway in Vegas and a record 6,600 people have made their presence known to the City of the Meadows.

On June 3rd Binions opened it's doors to thousands of poker players both online and pysical poker tournament players in what is the biggest World Series of Poker or for anything for that matter. Vegas is a Boom in the months of June and July. The Poker Web is showing dialy Poker Updates videos live from the event. Eric Rosenburg and his team have done a wonderful job in creating these live poker feeds from the WSOP.

Online Poker Rooms are live with action from all over the world. All running satellites to the WSOP final championship event. From Poker Stars to Party Poker, the Internet online poker rooms are jumping with action.

If you go to http://www.thepokerweb.com/ and visit the hottest wsop 2005 poker videos they're alive with action for all to see. Check them out today.
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Also Sign UP for the WPS 2005 Caribbean Poker Cruise! The Caribbean is waiting for you poker cruise Now.

Online Poker Rooms Texas Holdem Poker Tournaments

2005-05-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

It seems like these days, every charity or special interest group is hosting Texas Hold'em tournaments and cigar enthusiasts apparently didn't want to miss out on the trend. At the Cigar Aficionado's second annual no-limit Texas Hold'em poker tournament, players got the chance to play their hand at Texas Hold'em, all the while sucking on their favorite stogies. The poker tournament was held on May 14th, when 55 cigar smoking poker fans came to Atlantic City's

Borgata Hotel and Casino to compete for the prize pool of $28,000.
The Texas Hold'em tournament carried a $500 buy-in and a top prize of $14,000. Players were also provided with a three pack of Trinidad, Montecristo and H. Upmann Cameroon Vintage cigars, on the house.

It seems Poker has gone cigar poker an interesting piece of poker news for poker tournaments across the US. When people like Chris Moneymaker or Al Krux get a chance to play for huge pots it makes it all the better.

While the WSOP is just around the corner many poker players and fans around the world will be looking for a massive poker tournament payout this year. With hopes that they will become the WSOP 2005 champion. Who will it be? This question is on the minds of every poker room and poker player around who love the game of poker.

with 6 weeks of poker tournament play, can anyone wonder why so many people love poker. Online poker tournaments are being played everywhere now a days and for the many lovers of the game of poker there is nothing better than an evening at a poker table with so many players all playing the great game of poker.

Poker Updates:
Bikini Poker is holding daily hourly poker tournaments during its beta testing period. All are welcomed to come and play on the latest poker software to hit the market.

World Poker Showdown is gearing up for a December Christmas in the Caribbean Poker Cruise so please visit http://www.worldpokershowdown.com/ and sign up today. Cabins are going fast.

Don't miss out all you poker babes or poker fans Sign Up today!

WSOP and Top Online Poker Rooms

2005-05-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

The Poker Web has now begun to section off part of it's web site in honor of the World Series of Poker 2005. The WSOP will hold over 50 poker tournament events this year the highest it's ever been and the numbers keep rising.

Poker is a game mastered by many and skilled by a few. If you can poker tell your opponanant and understand the poker percentages then you may have a chance at one day becoming the Poker King of it all and hold the title of the WSOP Champion. You will forevermore be thrown into the spotlight.

to aquire a nack for developing your Poker skill can also be fun. Many sites around the internet today, such as bikini poker or Red light poker offer free rolls whereby a player can enter into a poker tournament based on loyalty points or free credits and possibly come out a winner to opening an account with these online poker rooms. Learn poker as the pros did. Open an account with Bikini Poker and begin to learn the hottest game on the planet. It's taken the world by Storm and it's time you get involved.

The art of Poker is a combination of Poker chips to Poker percentages. There are ways of learning how to incorporate and learn the percentages. It's easy. A poker company by the name of Texas Calculatem has a tool which you can purchase for a low low price and attach it to many online poker rooms where by it simulaneously reads percentages for you. Allowing for you to hold, discard or raise your pocket cards. It's a tremendeous tool I would highly recommend that you buy this tool.

Poker Calculator Calculatem

The Poker Webs following of visitors to its website is increasing Daily all trying to pinpoint the exact flow of what a poker room should have and contain. Please keep up to date information on Poker news and poker updates with respect to all that we have to offer. I would love for all of you to become fabulous online poker players and better yet to reach the apex of the poker world, The grand poker tournament rooms throughout the US and beyond.

Poker is here to stay and we're begining to gear up for the WSOP so don't miss out on all the action and get right in there with the pros. Imagine beating a Chris Moneymaker or a T.J. you'd be Poker King for a Day and have a lifetime of poker tales for the telling. Also don't miss out on the WPT or the WPS World poker showdown poker cruise. A poker cruise can also be a great place to get started playing poker for real poker tournaments.

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Online Poker Rooms move to Home Poker

2005-05-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

If your into late night poker games at home with the buddies then this article is for you. Imagine hosting a poker game and a few hours into the game it's the fuzz and the famed cliche; 'Nobody move, hands in the air'! What would you do? One thing for sure is not to move.

Well that happen to Dennis Barcuch, 38, of Hobbs N.M.. As the host of a home poker game in february of this year and the following is the excerpt from the AP wire.

Felony charges dropped for home poker game Source: AP 5-9-2005 HOBBS, N.M. -- The host of a poker game raided in February for allegedly being high stakes will spend no time in jail.
Dennis Barcuch, 38, of Hobbs has pleaded no contest to gambling -- a petty misdemeanor.
Magistrate Judge Dianna Luce sentenced him to 180 days in jail -- all suspended -- and 180 days of unsupervised probation.

He's also been ordered to pay 67 dollars in fees and donate a hundred dollars to charity.
Barcuch had initially faced 18 months in prison and a five-thousand dollar fine on felony charges of commercial gambling and permitting his home to be used for gambling.
Officers with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety's Special Investigations Division raided Barcuch's residence February Fifth.

As poker becomes more popular more of these stories will become more common. It is the poker web's contention that if you host a home poker game we hope that you play for fun and if the urge to play poker for money arrises and your in an area where playing poker for money is illegal then we would say take your poker game to an Area Casino where poker can be played legally. After all we'd hate to see anyone getting in trouble playing the hottest game in the country. So from the Poker web to your poker home be safe and play right.

Please visit the poker web for information on last to the minute poker news and poker information. The poker web is the new generation of online poker site adding tremendous articles and news updates about what is current in the world of poker. The poker web will also be sectioning off a part of their website dedicated the World Series of Poker 2005 so don't miss out on all the latest up to the minute poker tournament news.

On a side note the World Poker Showdown or WPS is putting together a new Poker Cruise getting ready to sail in Dec of 2005. So if you missed out on the action for the first poker cruise don't miss the action on the new WPS Christmas in the Caribbean poker cruise.

Online Poker Room History

2005-05-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

Everywhere you look there are poker tournaments being played for a great deal of different reasons. Some poker tournaments are geared for free known as free rolls others are money tournaments. Another would be the for poker charity events. The forward is a brief history about poker and poker tournaments in general.

Poker, probably the favorite home card game in the U.S., is today a uniquely American game but far reaching into the European frontier. People associate it mainly with the settling of the Western frontier, but it has been linked to U.S. history since colonial times, when decks of playing cards (like tea) had to be imported from England and were subject to a heavy excise tax. It was, in fact, illegal to manufacture decks of cards in the American colonies.

While the origin of the game of Poker is widely disputed, it seems clear that playing cards were invented by the Chinese around 900 A.D. The Chinese probably invented card games based on games with paper money (which they also invented). Some historians, however, believe that cards are derived from Chinese dominoes, the game pieces simply made into thin cards instead of tiles. Cardplaying spread over the world, arriving in Italy and Spain from Egypt via trade routes by the late 14th century. Many early decks had just 20 cards. The Tarot deck was created based on existing playing card decks, adding 22 trumps to a regular deck. The suits of the Tarot are the same that early Italian and Spanish decks used: Swords, Batons/Clubs, Cups, and Coins. These were called Latin suits. Early English decks were Latin-suited, but they gradually adopted the familiar Spades, Clubs, Hearts, and Diamonds, suits that France began using on their cards about 1480 and we use today.

How did Poker get to America? By the rivers and railroads, mainly. The French who settled New Orleans learned the game of As Nas from Persian sailors going up the Mississippi. As Nas, played by Frenchmen, became associated with their French game of "Poque," a card game involving bluffing and betting. Poker also bears some resemblance to the old 3-card games of Brag in England and Pochen in German (Pochen means "to bluff.")

By the 1830s, a 52-card deck was in general use, and poker rules were slowly becoming standardized as rule books were written. The Old West took to the game quickly. It became the saloon favorite over faro, as sharp players discovered how quickly wealth could be won from it. The personalities of Western legends, guns, saloons and Poker all seemed to go together. Particularly the guns: Poker Alice (born Alice Ivers), a famous gambler and saloonkeeper, shot and killed a man who accused her husband of cheating at cards. Doc Holliday and Wild Bill Hickok, both of whom earned a living at times from cardplaying, frequently had to relocate after disputes over cards that they settled with bullets. For Hickok, poker would be the last game he'd ever play. On Aug. 2, 1876, in the Number 66 Saloon (some say it was No. 6, or No. 10) in Deadwood, South Dakota, Wild Bill reluctantly chose a seat he didn't care for, with its back to the door, so he could be in on the card game. While he played, a man named Jack McCall walked in and circled the table. He slowly walked behind Hickok's chair and shot him in the back. Wild Bill's cards -- a 2-pair hand of black Eights and black Aces, plus a 5th card -- became known as the Dead Man's Hand.

Poker, clearly, fit the aggressiveness of the West: a player had to keep his wits about him and exploit opportunity as it arrived. The game -- and the frontier -- was not for anyone without confidence. And it survived its clashes with the law. In 1910, Nevada made it a felony to run a betting game. The Attorney General of California declared that draw poker was based upon skill and therefore the antigambling laws could not stop it. But stud poker, he said, was based on mere chance. Therefore it was illegal. Naturally draw poker games flourished, and more emerged. In 1931, Nevada reversed itself and became the only place in the U.S. to legalize casino gambling, until 1978, when Atlantic City joined in.

Today poker is played in more variations than probably any other game. Its phrases are part of our common speech. We named a facial expression after it. It has its own World Series of Poker, when the best players compete in poker tournaments over14 days. While other games may have higher payback percentages, the irresistibility of poker -- the game so closely tied to the personality and demeanor of the poker player -- rules.

If anything is self evident about the game of poker and its respected poker tournaments is that online poker is here to stay and with all that the game stands for one thing is for certain, America and the world seems to have fallen in love with the game of Poker and all its poker cruises.

Poker Legends and Online Poker

2005-05-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

How does one become a poker legend? This is a question asked by many of us at Legends in Poker. We can only take this by analyzing the way in which we think about poker legends. Be they in the forms of online poker players turned professionals or your very own classic Poker Professional.

The answer the prefore question of how one becomes a poker legend we must go back to the initial definititon of a legend.

As defined a legend is 'a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. Legend, for its active and passive participants, includes no happenings that are outside the realm of "possibility", defined by a highly flexible set of parameters, which may include miracles that are perceived as actually having happened, within the specific tradition'.

'A narrative of human actions' such as having the unbelievable skill of winning at poker. Who can say that by playing the game of poker one can become a legend. In this case only a certain few enter into this category. The names of such legends can be.

Doyal Brunson: perhaps the greatest poker legend ever to play the game. Doyle has been playing for over 40years and has shown to have won more tournaments than anyone alive. Wow what a master poker player the true meaning of the term Poker Legend.

Now for account the WSOP or the World Series of Poker has had it's share of making all the stories of poker legends come true. The World Series of Poker tournament was first played in 1970 and has grown in popularity ever since. There are many different poker game events in the tournament today including seven card stud, seven card stud high low, Omaha, Omaha high low, Texas hold'em, and more. The winner of each poker game event is awarded a gold bracelet signifying the world championship of that poker event.

The World Series of Poker has had it's share of drama and excitement in the more than thirty years it has existed. In a story that should give every poker player hope, Jack Strauss came back to win one year after having lost all but one chip of his stake early in the poker tournament. Proving that it is never too late to be great again, Stu Ungar picked up his third win after spending 17 years mostly out of competition.

One of the leading money winners in the World Series of Poker has been T. J. Cloutier. Over the years, he has finished in the money in over 30 poker game events. He has also won four first place gold bracelets in various events. In the main event of Texas hold'em, he has finished twice in second-place, and once each in third place and fifth place.

Billy Baxter, one of the other big names in poker, dominated the deuce-to-seven draw poker event for many years, with five first place finishes and two second place finishes.

Poker Legends are self made which is why if you have any comments about your thoughts for the Legends in Poker website please let us know.

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Top Online Poker Rooms offer Bonus Codes

2005-05-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

Online poker room Party Poker is currently offering two bonus codes for new members. At any given time, Party Poker has as many as 70,000 online poker players signed into its site, with hundreds of new members registering every day.

Apparently, however, this just isn't enough for Party Poker. Despite online poker's tremendous popularity, a large constituency of online casino players has yet to jump onto the online poker bandwagon.

Party Poker wants to make sure that when they do, it will be with Party Poker. Bonus codes are one way online poker rooms compete for new online poker players.Party Poker's two bonus codes are both good on a new Party Poker player's first deposit. By entering the bonus code SPRING20 or TULIP20 upon registration, new poker players will get an additional 20 percent added to the first deposit. New players can also get an extra $25 when they enter either SPRING25 or BLOOM25 upon registering

Top Online Poker Rooms Poker News

2005-05-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

The Poker web offers the latest aces in poker news information accross the internet today. With live poker updates coming to you in the fashion of streaming poker videos.
While poker has become America's latest craze the online pokerroom industry has by far surpassed in popularity the online casinos or online sportbooks. It is recommended that your first souce for online poker news is The Poker Web site.

Dedicated to bringing you the most recent and important poker news and poker tournament information, The Poker Web's sole commitment is to the online poker player and fans for the draw. So if the flop can bring you action or the turn can fill your day let the river bring you riches we always say.

The Poker Web dedicated to serving you the best online gambline and poker news information. Please visit us for the poker web exclusive poker interviews and articles by the best writers in the industry. All focused on making you the better all around poker player.

Learn when to hold them and when to fold them. It's no mystery that poker is a skilled game, but it's getting skilled that requires time and thought. Perception and deception the name of the game. There's no other game like it.

Online poker and poker players unite to bring you the ultimate prize the WSOP. The grand prize of it all. And in this there can be only one. Learn more about the WPS poker cruise and poker cruises and all the poker babes in town. Also become aware of the top online poker rooms grazing the Internet today.

New Breed of Poker Stars

2005-05-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

On a cloudless May afternoon, Daniel Negreanu darted through the streets of downtown Las Vegas in a new white Lexus SC 430 convertible. With his highlighted blond mop-top and two hoop earrings blowing in the breeze, he looked straight out of a car commercial, the picture of 21st-century stylish prosperity. He showed off the global-positioning system, which gave him an alternate route 66 when construction blocked the entrance to Highway 95, and toyed with the bumping stereo. Sporting his perpetual cat-that-ate-the-canary grin, it was impossible to tell that Negreanu had busted out of a 2004 World Series of Poker event minutes earlier.

The 29-year-old high school dropout, whose only real job was a three-week stint at a Subway sandwich shop, was utterly content--and why not? He pals around with ubercelebrities Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio, splashes $100,000 in poker chips on his desk like loose change, and paid for the Lexus in cash. He plans to upgrade from his three-bedroom house in the posh Las Vegas suburb of Summerlin to one that includes basketball and tennis courts, similar to the setup of his close friend Erick Lindgren. Lindgren's straight-out-of-MTV Cribs bachelor pad is furnished with six flatscreen poker TV, a Galaga arcade game, a pool table, a swimming pool, and a framed picture of Seinfeld's Kramer over the living-room mantle. But even Lindgren's 4,000-square-foot manse doesn't match the massive spread Phil Ivey has overlooking the lush Tournament Players Club poker golf course.

The heirs to a burgeoning empire built on the shoulders of road-weary gamblers like Puggy Pearson and Doyle Brunson, Negreanu, Ivey, and Lindgren are the embodiment of the dream that has taken hold of thousands of teens and 20-somethings across the country. They are each under 30 and sitting on piles of cash earned playing a poker game that requires them to perform no task more strenuous than chasing straights and flushes.

Yeah, it's good to be one of the hot young stars of poker. To say that the face of poker is changing is as obvious as raising with pocket Aces from early position. At the 2004 World Series of poker, there were as many oversize throwback jerseys as cowboy hats, more earrings than cigars. A record eight championship bracelets went to poker players under the age of 32, including four to players younger than 24.

These poker whiz kids emerged from a different culture than their forebears, one in which legalized gambling is prominent across the country, bookstores are loaded with an overabundance of strategy poker books, and it's possible, by playing multiple games online at once, to compress years of experience into a few months. And, of course, they came to the poker game at a time when becoming a successful poker professional didn't just ensure a good living. It meant you could become something more than rich--you could become a star.

But as Negreanu emerged from downtown and pointed the Lexus west toward his home nestled in the shadow of the Red Rock Mountains, he offered this advice to the kids coming up behind him: Don't quit your day job.

"Everybody likes to say the poker world is this glamorous lifestyle, living in mansions with four Rolls-Royces in the garage," he said. "Of a thousand people who attempt to become successful doing this, maybe one makes it. And when I say successful, I don't mean playing 50 hours a week and grinding it out. I mean having a beautiful home, a car, and some money in the bank. You would be better off randomly going to Hollywood and trying to become movie star."
What to make of this? It's undoubtedly good advice, as the number of poker pros struggling to scrape together a bankroll far exceeds the handful who inhabit Negreanu's rarified tax bracket. Then again, in the weeks following his admonition, Negreanu captured the best overall poker player award at the World Series of Poker, and then bested a world-class field in a subsequent tournament at the Plaza. His take for roughly six weeks of work: more than $600,000. This is a man who lies for a living, and it suddenly seems entirely possible that he's trying to bluff an entire generation out of a pot he'd just as soon keep for himself.

If Negreanu is bluffing, the Toronto native with a passing resemblance to Rounders star Edward Norton is simply living up to his reputation as a loose cannon willing to win by even the most unconventional means. During the 2004 World Series of poker, for example, he entered a $1,000 no-limit event that allowed players to buy back in as many times as they wanted within the first two hours--a structure that generates fairly loose play in the opening rounds. Negreanu took that approach to the extreme: He played almost every two cards he was dealt, and usually raised with them, laughing giddily all the while. Every time he busted out, he produced another thick wad of hundreds and reentered the fray. He ultimately bought back in a record 28 times, which meant he needed to finish fifth out of 538 entries just to get his initial investment back.
"People see me acting silly, it adds to my game," he explains. "It's good for my table image for the future. They will know I'm capable of going crazy. Because I will play with those people again, and they'll always wonder when I'm in there playing a lot of pots, 'Is he going crazy again?'"
In this instance, it worked. After the re-buy period ended, Negreanu continued to play aggressively--though he toned it down a tad--and ultimately finished third. His prize money was more than $100,940, a profit on the day of more than $70,000.

Negreanu clearly revels in his wild-card reputation, but he says there is a definite method to his madness. He believes it's becoming increasingly difficult to win with a traditional tight-aggressive style, in which you wait for big hands and play them forcefully. As a result, he enters more pots than almost anyone at poker's highest levels. While most players get involved in at most two or three hands out of 10, Negreanu doesn't mind playing five or six.

"It's the correct strategy," he says. "In the old days, there was this myth that you have to play tight and only play certain hands. Poker has evolved. The mathematics behind what everybody thought was correct--the 'book play'--is absolutely not correct anymore [because there are so many less experienced and often reckless players coming to poker]. It's way too conservative. The way the game was played in 1980, if somebody raised and then there was a reraise, that meant a premium hand. [David] Sklansky even wrote that you should lay down pocket Jacks in that situation. Well, the way the game is played now, the first raise could be 10-8 suited and the next raise Ace-8."

Although he's played professionally since he was 17, Negreanu didn't begin to develop his signature style until he was 23. It was 1998 and, as a newcomer to Las Vegas, he was playing with world champion Stu Ungar and Erik Seidel in a no-limit game at the Bellagio. Negreanu sat to Ungar's immediate left, which meant he was always forced to react to Ungar's play. Ungar was only months away from his drug-induced death, but managed to bully the table relentlessly even on autopilot. "He was in complete control of every hand," Negreanu says. "Every hand went through Stuey. Everybody had to be completely aware of him at all times."
Negreanu calls the evening "the biggest revelation of my poker life." The lesson: By dictating the action, you can knock other players out of their comfort zones.

"The majority of poker players are looking for reasons to fold. I am looking for reasons to play," Negreanu continues. "Even before I look at the hand, I am trying to map out the table and figure out where the strength is and where the weakness is based on the chip stacks and personalities of each player. Like in chess poker, I usually have my move already decided based on a range of hands that I might be dealt. As soon as I look at the hand, I am deciding whether this is ridiculous to play or not. If it's not, then I usually play it."It's worth noting that Negreanu's method of dealing with poker's new landscape is the direct opposite of that of Phil Hellmuth, who advocates playing supertight in the face of reckless opponents. Negreanu's strategy is a dangerous one, of course, because its risks equal the rewards--it's a mathematical certainty that if he plays more hands than anyone else, he starts without the best hand on a regular basis. It's a poker strategy that's viable only for the best players, those who are able to capitalize on weakness in other players while also recognizing when a good hand might not be the best one. It takes a lifetime of card sense to pull it off, and Negreanu has it.

The oldest son of recent Romanian immigrants, Negreanu was valedictorian of his junior high and a promising student when he discovered poker in the Toronto pool halls where he spent his free time. By his junior year of high school, he had abandoned all pretense of being a student. He left his books at home and arrived each morning with just a deck of cards and a stack of poker chips. He ran two games out of the school cafeteria, which typically earned him at least $100 a day, but he finally got expelled when one of his poker players paid him off with a check the boy had stolen from his mother. Soon he was playing professionally in home games and underground clubs.

In 1995, at age 21, he traveled to Las Vegas for his first World Series of poker. Two years later, he became the youngest player ever to win a bracelet when he captured the $2,000 pot-limit Hold 'Em title.In 1998, he moved to Vegas full-time. By his own admission, Negreanu was a talented but wildly undisciplined player in his early years. He played the way he played back home: like it was a game, not a job. He made consistent money at the middle limits, but stretched to play higher even when his bankroll couldn't sustain him. He was frequently broke. He also sometimes drank heavily at the table, smoked cigars, especially during what he dubbed "party day," when he would get drunk and play foolishly on purpose (not unlike the way he played in the World Series re-buy event, except with no brake). His rationale was that he needed those nights to keep poker fun, and not let the grind of constant playing wear him down, but it took a toll on his funds. The morning after his 26th birthday, he awoke unable to remember a single hand he'd played the night before--an embarrassing episode made worse by the fact that he had blown $70,000.

Online poker news and poker tournament information can be found at the poker web site. Please check out the latest poker cruise site for info on the WPS. And trips to Costa Rican Poker also available now. America's Latest Craze is about to go bikini at www.bikinipoker.com

Poker Rooms doing Poker Fund Raisers

2005-05-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Posted on Mon
May. 02, 2005

I knew when to fold 'em, but unfortunately not when to texas hold 'em, Friday when I played in the second annual Celebrity Poker Challenge at the President Casino on the Admiral.

The St. Louis riverfront casino held the tournament to benefit charity and generate some good buzz for poker, the hot game of the moment, and it's Saint Louie's Poker Room.

The poker tournament was a chance to win $2,000 or smaller second- and third-place prizes to donate to the charity of your choice. Even if you didn't win a poker news hand, which I didn't, your charity got $100.

There were 20 of us, including some people who actually are celebrities such as Rich Gould, Channel 11 sports director, the venerable Jay Randolph, Ron Jacober, radio personalities Guy Phillips and John Carney, former St. Louis Blues player Tony Twist and TV anchor Donna Savarese.

I figure it was Savarese sitting next to me who most likely distracted me and threw me off my game. Ed Goodman of KEZK-FM radio won. Gould finished second and Twist was third.
Chris Strobbe, vice president and manager of the President, said the casino has always tried to be a good corporate citizen and to be involved with area charities.

"We don't forget the metro-east," he said. "In fact 60 percent of employees from the metro-east." It never hurts to have a few celebrities around to publicize poker, either. Not that poker needs that much of a boost. Strobbe said the popularity of poker has skyrocketed in the past couple of years mostly due to national poker tournaments and television exposure.

"It has brought in a new type of customer for us," he said. "Everyone is playing poker. It really has enhanced all our table games play. "When the poker tables are full, they go to other games."
He said casino poker in St. Louis started out with the President and Ameristar.
"Harrah's added a poker room and we saw an increase in our play," he said. "People became more aware." He said their business was 80 percent in

As time passes more and more

poker rooms will host poker charities events. Online poker rooms have now alotted advertising dollars to host events that will boost there image around the world. Online poker or poker tournaments mean entertainment and high advertising dollars. So as one correspondant writer poker is with us for the long online poker ride.

Poker Room Pits Celebrities vs. the Poker Pros

2005-04-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

GSN has announced the premiere of Poker Royale: Celebrities Vs. Poker Pros, a seven-episode series debuting as part of GSN's weekly Casino Night, Friday, May 6 at 9.00pm ET/PT.

Not underestimating their opponents, the experienced pros put on their best game faces in an attempt to make it to the final poker table for a chance for the $50,000 championship grand prize.

The team of celebrities include: Lance Bass (*NSYNC), Mimi Rogers (Austin Powers), Jennifer Tilly (Liar Liar), and Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld). The poker professionals include Scott Fischman (Two World Series of Poker bracelets), Kathy Liebert (WSOP bracelet), Paul Darden (Winner of the 2003 World Poker Tour Gold Rush Tournament) and Kenna James (WSOP bracelet).

Shot at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California, the third instalment of GSN's Poker Royale franchise will be hosted by John Ahlers, the voice of the NHL's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who calls his first poker tournament. Joining him on Poker Royale is sideline reporter Lisa Dergan, named ‘sexiest sportscaster’ by STUFF magazine, and Robert Williamson III, returning as colour commentator.

In the first six one-hour episodes, three poker pros and three celebrities face off. Every episode champion wins $10,000 and ten points. The poker player who finishes second receives eight points, third place receives six points, and so on. The players who make the final table will each receive $10,000 in poker chips to begin. In the two-hour finale, airing on June 17, the finale winner will walk away with a $50,000 grand prize.

'Our goal is to make our Poker Royale series better than other poker shows and this new format of the celebrities challenging the poker pros is totally cool,' said Ian Valentine, Senior Vice President of Programming, GSN, 'Viewers will enjoy the unpredictable action, great table talk and top notch poker legends on both sides.'

World Poker Tour Bellagio Championship

2005-04-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

26 April 2005
Sunday's World Poker Tour Championship final event saw Tuan Le take home the title of WPT champion, along with a heaping $2.9 million. And it "only" took seven hours of laborious, gut-wrenching poker maneuvers for him to claim it.

Although past WPT championships have seen online poker qualifiers make great strides in the competition, this year's final table featured veteran land-based casino poker players only. Runners up include second place winner Paul Maxfield, who took home a neat little $1.7 million, Hasan Habib in third, winning $896,375, forth place winner John Phan, with $518,920, Dutch import Rob Hollink coming in fifth, with winnings of $377,420 and Phil Ivey in sixth, nabbing $264,195. Money was awarded to the top 100 players, with the minimum prize equaling a not-too-shabby $30,000.

Marking its third year at Bellagio, the WPT championship attracted a record 450 players, up from last year's 343. Despite the increase in attendance, the WPS hundreds of poker players pales in comparison to the thousands contending for the World Series of Poker title in recent years. The WPT's $25,000 buy-in might have something to do with it. The WSOP's buy-in, in comparison, is a "mere" $10,000.

Fans who were unable to make the live tournament can still catch the televised poker version, which will air June 29 on the Travel Channel.

Online Poker Rooms lead to Poker Camp by Phil Hellmuth

2005-04-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

19 April 2005
Come August, poker aficionados can immerse themselves in an entire weekend of intensive poker training this addding to poker statistics is led by poker champ Phil Hellmuth. The four day boot camp, tagged "Camp Hellmuth," will convene at Binion's Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas, the traditional headquarters of the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Although the actual training camp will be held at Binion's, participants will stay at the Sunset Strip's Caesars' Palace.

The seminar will feature intensive theoretical strategy tutorials, in addition to hands-on training, culminating in a no-limit poker tournament, which will boast a prize pool of up to $100,000, depending on the number of attendees. Aside from Hellmuth, a number of additional poker stars will offer their expertise. The roster includes poker legends T. J. Cloutier and John Bonetti, in addition to Barry and Jeff Shulman, David Williams, Josh Arieh and Evelyn Ng.

Learning from the pros, however, does not come cheap, and Camp Hellmuth is no exception at $3,499. Nevertheless, a number of discounts are available. Players registering before June 1st can sign up for $150 less and discounts are also available for participants who bring a friend to the poker camp. Poker players not needing accommodations will also have registrations fees slashed.More information is available at the official Camp Hellmuth website, www.camphellmuth.com.

Online Poker Rooms make way for Online poker tournaments

2005-04-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

After years of holding two $500 daily free poker tournaments, Empire Poker has doubled their free poker output by adding two additional free entry poker tournaments each with a $500 prize pool. Daily poker freerolls website nlfreeroll.com announced that the new poker tournaments launched February 1st, and have been running smoothly.

These freerolls, have become more and more popular with online poker players, and have proven to be one of the most effective ways for online poker rooms to get people to try out their product. In the past year the online poker community has witnessed the arrival of free daily tournaments with pay-outs as high as $1000 to $3000 prize pools for weekly free tournaments.

The biggest freeroll to date was a poker giant Party Poker, together playing host to up to 75,000 online poker players on 10,000 tables every day. By expanding their free poker tournament offering, Empire is partaking in the recent promotional trend among online poker rooms of offering bigger bonuses and other free cash incentives such as free tournaments with large prize pools. According to the free poker tournament schedule at http://www.nlfreeroll.com/ , the $500 Empire freeroll tournaments run every day at 12 am, 3 am, 3 pm, and 7 pm Eastern time.

The popularity of poker continues to explode online and offline, thanks mostly to ESPN's broadcasts of the World Series of Poker and the Travel Channel's World Poker Tour. Even celebrities such as Ben Affleck, Leonardo Dicaprio and Tobey Macguire have taken up poker recently. Poker freerolls have also gained in popularity as unknown internet qualifiers Greg Raymer and Chris Moneymaker have won the 2004 and 2003 World Series of Poker Championships.

With thousands of new poker players pouring onto the internet to play poker every day, the various online poker rooms have gotten very serious in their competition for new customers. This has lead to what the popularity of web sites like http://www.nlfreeroll.com.

America's Online Poker tournamenets

2005-04-05T12:04:00.000-07:00

Has popularity of Texas Hold'Em, gone from the back room to the board room? Small Town Poker Tour Show, Executive Producer, Mark Fracalossi, would neither confirm or deny the buzz that is surrounding the story. The Small Town Poker Tour Show is a new television show set to hit the air.

"I have received countless calls the past few days asking me to confirm the Trump-Burnett connection," Fracalossi said. "All I can say at this time we have some interesting proposals on the table, and we have not finalized the broadcast end of the deal, what I can say, Make it Happen Productions, a Los Angeles based production company and Billy Frank Creative Director/Executive Producer, have partnered with us to produce the show".

Make It Happen is a full-service production company that specializes in fully-executed productions from conception through postproduction. "It's not that bad having your name and project associated with such a great American Icon," Fracalossi said.

The show will add a new grass roots look to the nations fastest growing card game Texas Hold'em. The Poker Show will be different from the rest, "We put more on the people aspect and feature unique locations." It will also raise money for charity along the way. The Tour comes to town everyone who lives in that state is invited out to play, 100% of the money is given to a local charity. All of America will get to vote on the Towns the tour visits. The tour will travel all 50 States, in search of the best amature poker player in America.

"We are going to take poker back to where it all started", Fracalossi said. "Everyone views the shows now with their high stakes, and flashy sets, but the roots of Poker games can be found in every small town in the USA."

So don't be surprised if you see someone who looks like the grandmother next door or the guy who bags items at your local store at the final poker table or you read it in a poker magazine. "Our goal is to make this a fund raising machine for the towns we visit".

The WPS poker tour has reinvented the way it produces poker tournaments. They complement on the fact that Texas Holdem and Omaha Hi/Lo. So please sign Up today for a chance at winning big prizes for our poker tournament.

Online Poker and Texas Hold em

2005-04-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

The World Series of Poker. Celebrity Poker Challenge. Cable poker television just can’t wait to broadcast the next Texas Hold ‘Em Poker tournament because they know the ratings will go through the roof. This card game is arguably the most popular game of chance on the planet – multibillion-dollar casinos are all planning to double, triple, even quadruple the amount of floor space devoted to Texas Hold ‘Em, just to keep up with the demand.

“Digital Storm Group proudly introduces “Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Secrets,” our new book that unveils the secrets and strategies of winning at this incredibly popular game,” said Robert Barnard, founder and CEO of Digital Storm Group, “If you’re interested in Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, this is the book for you.”

“This book covers everything from a basic overview of the game with card rankings and a complete explanation of each round for players that are brand-new to Texas Hold ‘Em, and then goes into odds and betting poker strategies for each round. There are tactics like how to read your opponent, how to bluff and when not to bluff, table selection, when to “fold ‘em” – in short, everything you need to know to play with the big boys.” Barnard stated. “We’ve also collected an unbelievable amount of the most in-depth information about Texas Hold ‘Em Poker anywhere on the Internet, (http://www.thepokerweb.com/). If you’re looking for an edge, and a winning strategy, you need to start here.”

Digital Storm Group, which is located in Oakdale, Minnesota, is committed to providing superior information products in a wide variety of fields to our customer base. To view our in-depth collection of information related to Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, please visit us at www.bikinipoker.com. For additional information on the Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Secrets book please visit our website at http://www.pokerbookshop.com/.

So as online poker and poker tournaments (being the most popular game on the internet) begin to draw you in don't forget that online poker for poker players can be played at www.bikinipoker.com or www.xppoker.com or www.redlightpoker.com. Along with those sites you should try to view our list of sites that will definately make your online poker playing experience incredibly exciting. Pluse online poker news and info can be found at www.pokernewswire.com

www.renopokerclub.com
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www.ukpokerforum.com
www.yourpokerface.com
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www.golferspoker.com
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www.freetourneys.com
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www.bikerspoker.com
www.hardrockpokerclub.com
www.pokerbookshop.com
www.europepokerforum.com
www.pokernewswire.com
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www.skillpokergame.com
www.costaricapokerparty.com
www.livepokerevents.com
www.badbeatpoker.com
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www.freepokerschool.com
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www.poquergratis.com
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www.freetourneys247.com
www.pokervacationing.com
www.cigarpoker.com
www.legendsinpoker.com
www.ukpokertourney.com

Online poker is begining it's upward drive to a world of poker legends waiting to be found.

Poker Books for Online Poker Room Players

2005-03-17T07:06:00.000-08:00

By RazzO and Mo Kings
March 16, 2005

It seems The Poker Web is at it again. Today RazzO and Mo Kings from The Poker Web Exclusive have teamed up to give you a look into the lifestyle of the greatest poker legend that ever lived. Yesterday Rio Hotel in Las Vegas hosted Doyle Brunson's book signing event. The people were many who showed up to get the Hottest selling Book on the market out into the hands of poker players. Doyle Brunson's Super System II , a course in power poker, will by far be the hottest selling poker book in 2005. From beginners to old school, many lined up to have Doyle Brunson sign their copy of his latest book to hit the book shelves. As a Poker Web Exclusive, RazzO from RazzO.com got up close and personal to Doyle Brunson and all the famed guests at the event, taking a mountain of pictures that will discover a glimpse into the lifestyle of poker legend Doyle Brunson.

Buy Now: Super System II by Doyle Brunson

The book signing event was a great success many poker players from all around Vegas made an appearance into the Rio Hotel to witness a poker legend. “The crowds were great, people waited their turn to have Doyle sign their book. It was an exciting event, people walked away with smiles and relished the moment.” said RazzO while making his way through the crowds. So if you love poker and want to keep on learning more check out Doyle Brunson's latest poker book, Super System II .

The Best Online Poker Room 'Bikini Poker'

2005-03-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

The best online poker room for today is definitely Biknini Poker please visit the site and sign up for their online bonuses....

We think the best online poker room is definitely bikini poker. Online poker rooms are all over the web so please keep coming back to this online poker room.

m

Poker Horse

2005-02-22T17:08:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping that someone can finally put an end to "Poker Horse" (in my>opinion) totally flawed reasoning.>>If you feel you can do this, please post in the forum, state who you>are, your grade, level of education regarding poker and mathematics/statistics>and so on. The more of you who do this, the better it would be. Just>tell this guy that he is wrong (I do hope he is) and give him some>proof about it (if you can). If he happens to be right, well.. we'll>get to that if that is the case...>>You are my only hope... ;-)>>Regards>Rikard EkequistYou're not likely to get much response here because the request is not specific enough and the reader has to wade through too much material. Why not write up a few of the disputed claims and ask people to agree/disagree with them and provide their poker reasoning?Steve OakleyRemove iron for email

bikinipoker.com
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redlightpoker.com

'Live At The Bike!', It's Not About Tournament Poker Anymore!

2005-02-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

BELL GARDENS, Calif., -- The Bicycle Casino, world renowned as an industry leader in the field of poker and card games, celebrates its latest innovation, "Live At The Bike!". Slated to create yet another major following in the world of poker, The Bike will stream a variety of games and limits, including high stakes poker directly from their card casino floor. Log on to their website, www.thebike.com, and you can watch the famous and wanna-be famous poker players who will be taking their chances with real money, not tournament chips. According to the Bike's Managing Partner, Haig Kelegian, "What makes this exciting and different is the fact that it's real ..... real money, really high stakes. Tournament poker is great, but doesn't translate dollar for dollar. We are focusing on real players who have their money on the table ... and its unscripted, unedited and uncensored. That's exciting!".

Poker Operations Manager, Rick Cloward agrees, "Along with poker, reality TV is hotter than ever before. 'Live At The Bike' brings poker reality to the worldwide screen. You witness the raw emotion, the real risk of cold hard cash on the table and who's really got the goods and who's bluffing." You'll see the excitement of the win, and the agony of defeat, and it's often not pretty. That's real poker, and you'll feel like you're sitting at the table with the best of the best and those who just haven't mastered the game yet.

Thanks to a combination of talent and vision from the Bicycle Casino, and 2 innovative partners, iStreamPlanet and Joker Gaming, LLC, fourteen cameras will pick up all of the action and drama of the game, including players' cards and their faces, while skilled commentators call the action play by play. Poker enthusiasts world wide will have their chance to experience the Bike, thanks to universal web availability and cutting edge technology.

Always the innovators, The Bicycle Casino continues to set the pace for the poker industry by recognizing what needs to happen, not just what's happening now. According to Marketing Director, Kelley O'Hara, "Unless you're the lead dog on the team, the view is always the same. We want to set the pace, not follow the crowd." As charter members on the phenomenal World Poker Tour, the anchor show on the Travel Channel, the Bike continues to align itself with star properties and quality projects. With affiliate members as prestigious as the Bellagio and Foxwoods, the Bike travels with very good company.

The Bicycle Casino brings another unique element to the "Live At The Bike" experience, creating not only the opportunity to watch, but also a chance to play poker for free and win cash. Watch "Live At The Bike" and simultaneously practice your strategies on their free gaming site, www.thebike.com. With software provided by Momentum Gaming, the Bike is the only land-based casino to have their own free gaming site, providing you with the opportunity to learn the game and better your strategies, and giving you a chance to win big for FREE! Win points and redeem for participation in their weekend freerolls, without spending a dime.

All this with the click of a mouse!

You can watch "Live At The Bike" every Wednesday through Saturday, 6:00PM-10:00PM, P.S.T. Check out their website at www.thebike.com for more details. Contact Kelley O'Hara for further information.

Contact: Kelley O'Hara
The Bicycle Casino
Phone (562) 806-4646 ext 174
kelleyo@thebike.com

Source: The Bicycle Casino

Top Online Poker Rooms at Poker Cruise 2005, February 6th , the Caribbean poker event!

2005-01-13T23:58:00.000-08:00

25 days left fot the WPS Caribbean Event poker cruise 2005. This is a 7 day cruise which has teaching tables explaining poker strategies and the like. Chance to join Chris Moneymaker and other poker professionals at the teaching tables.

Don't miss out on the prize pool of $750,000 dollars. Your entry fee into first $100 buy in poker tournament is included.

Here is the easy to Sign-Up-Now-Link.
Don't miss the Boat! Royal Caribbean Cruise lines aboard the "Mariner of the Seas". Have a fantastic pre-view

PS: More information can be found on one of the World Poker Showdown Links or here: Poker-Cruise.com

Harrah's Atlantic City to Host Auditions for World Series of Poker Commercials to Air Nationally on ESPN

2005-01-13T09:23:00.000-08:00

Casino Kicking Off National Search for the Ultimate Poker Face

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., -- The world's richest sporting event seeks stoic, emotionally detached man or woman to fill role of spokesperson. Eager, energetic candidates need not apply.

Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., which owns and operates the World Series of Poker, is launching a national search to find the ultimate poker face to star in commercials promoting the tournament's coverage on ESPN. The first auditions will be held Jan. 17 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Eden Lounge and Sapphire Bar at Harrah's Atlantic City.

The auditions will take place during the first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit event, which began Jan. 7 and concludes Jan. 18.

The new commercial will be the second "poker face" spot to run on ESPN. The first ad depicts a man maintaining a perfectly nonplussed expression while an interviewer asks him to react to both fantastic and horrible news. The new spot will build on the initial concept by depicting not only the ultimate poker face, but also outtakes from auditions in which people could not maintain stoic expressions under humorous interview conditions.

"The response to the first ad has been tremendous," said Ginny Shanks, Harrah's senior vice president of acquisition marketing. "Hosting auditions for a new spot at each of our World Series of Poker Circuit events will allow us to involve a huge number of poker enthusiasts in the development of the commercial and build interest in it before it ever airs."

Subsequent poker face auditions will be held at World Series of Poker events at Harrah's Rincon outside San Diego, Harrah's New Orleans, Harrah's Lake Tahoe and the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Audition dates for those events have not been finalized.

At least one person at each audition will be chosen as a finalist to appear in the spot.

Various subsidiaries of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. own or manage 28 casinos in the United States, primarily under the Harrah's and Horseshoe brand names. Founded 67 years ago, Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its valued customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.

Additional information about Harrah's Entertainment is available at http://www.harrahs.com/.

Celebrity Poker on TV

2004-12-30T21:45:00.000-08:00

The online casino phenomenon has given way to the recent rise in poker popularity. Poker is being played at online casinos, on web TV, and recently some televised poker games have been getting some pretty high ratings.

The recent World Series of Poker, the Poker cruise of Worldpokershowdown and World Poker Tour competitions are also huge successes.
Bravo recently created a new TV show that features some of your favorite celebrities playing poker on a weekly television series. It combines great poker playing with celebrity antiques and has already started to make some waves. If you are interested in poker you may even be able to pick up some tips from the show Celebrity Poker and use them when play at an online casino.The original series Celebrity Poker Showdown will return on a new night with an all new tournament featuring twenty-five stars competing for $250,000 for charity. Each tournament will consist of six two-hour episodes. The new season will be hosted by comedian Dave Foley (Will & Grace, The Kids in the Hall.) with expert commentary from poker pro Phil Gordon. Gordon is a world class poker player who has won $1,150,000 in poker tournaments in the last two years including a fourth place finish in the 2001 World Series of Poker, a first place finish in the World Poker Tour.

The Celebrity Poker Showdown champions will each walk away with $100,000 for the charity of their choice.
Read the full story here: http://www.onlinecasinoreports.com/news_show.asp?id=635

Spend 'Oscar Night with the Stars' at Hollywood Poker

2004-12-21T06:24:00.000-08:00

During this festive season, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and he's joining the ranks of stars on Hollywood Poker (http://www.hollywoodpoker.com). Hollywood Poker has quickly gained a reputation for its highly interactive poker software, superior player support, $100 deposit bonus, and above all, the opportunity to play poker against some of the world's top celebrities. HollywoodPoker.com would also like to congratulate the winner of the huge Hollywood Poker Challenge: Aaron Provenzano, and wish him the best of luck at the L.A. Poker Classic. And due to the overwhelming success of the World Poker Tour tournament, we are announcing something even bigger for December!

Premiering this month is Hollywood Poker's most generous event yet: "Oscar Night with the Stars" -- an enormous cash prize pool plus an exclusive opportunity for players to win a chance to party with the Stars on Oscar! In 2005, the Beverly Hills Hotel will be the location for the arrival of more than 100 Stars and celebrities who will attend the 'Night of 100 Stars' Black Tie Oscar Dinner Gala. The $12,000 Grand Prize consists of airfare for two to L.A, two tickets to the Oscar party, hotel accommodation for two nights, limousine service to the party and spending money -- with thousands more in cash going to other top finishers.

You must be a HollywoodPoker.com member to win this Oscar Tournament, so register for your free account and take advantage of this amazing opportunity! Getting started is easy: just visit our website, follow the directions and prepare yourself to join James Woods, Vince Van Patten and many other top celebrities in thrilling poker competition! With tournament buy-ins as low as $5.50 it's hard to resist! Rather than watching the Academy Awards on television this year, imagine spending a night out at Hollywood's hottest black tie affair.

If you want to take advantage of these great prizes but are still not entirely confident at the tables, take a look at the 'Poker School' for beginners. Don't be reluctant -- practice makes perfect and Hollywood Poker's 'Poker School' is the perfect place to learn! It's free to sign up, it's free to learn, and when you use Play Money, it's free to play. Once you feel confident, sign-up for a Real Money account and put your expertise to a lucrative use! For help, advice and the latest celebrity sightings, visit the Hollywood Poker "Green Room" forums at: http://forum.hollywoodpoker.com.

About HollywoodPoker.com

Hollywood Poker is Where the Stars Come to Play! Our mission is to provide players with world-class, secure online poker entertainment with access to exclusive celebrity games. HollywoodPoker.com delivers the most technologically advanced online poker games, regular tournaments with huge prize pools, the industry's most professional and responsive player support team and vibrant and exciting game rooms and community message boards. Give yourself the gift you really want this year at http://www.hollywoodpoker.com.

Top-10 Online Poker Rooms

2004-12-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

1 Paradise Poker
Billed accurately as the "World's Premier Online Cardroom", Paradise offers the standard variety of games, including tournaments 24 hours a day. The most action is always found at this site, 24 hours a day. Pleasing game interface with little extras that make things interesting. Most importantly, if you are concerned about security and credibility; Paradise posts card shuffling reviews by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (the world's largest professional services firm) on their site. Highly recommended.

2 Party Poker
Now a bit more seasoned, PartyPoker is raising in stature among card rooms. Party is presented by the same people that brought you CardPlayer Cruises, including Mike Sexton. They have a big multi-table tournament every year called the Party Poker Million.

3 Poker Stars
Poker Stars are fairly new to the online world, however, they seem to specialize in multi-table tournaments which are quite popular. Their site is also popular with play money players, as they offer some fun aspects to their software. Their interface can appear quite cluttered with all the graphics people can use for their identities.

4 Ultimate Bet
Has the backing (perhaps not financial, but certainly in name) of a number of big players including: Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, and Russ Hamilton.

5 Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes usually have good action, and are connected with the Hilton Group for added credibility. They sponsor a huge tournament in Europe called the Ladbrokes Poker Million. They do not accept US players, however. Their software is not exceptional."Ladbrokes have great action, and have a solid name behind them!"

6 Poker Room
Poker Room offers tournaments (including multi-table tournaments) as well as Texas Hold'em, Hold'em, Omaha, Chinese Poker and 7 Card Stud. In addition to a good links section, players can beta-test new games with play money, including tournaments.

7 Prima Poker
Not so much an online card room as a network of poker rooms, Prima boasts low to no waiting time to start a game. They have 21 smaller poker rooms that they pull from to make a full game. So no matter which site you connected from, you will be able to play across the board. They use a third party company called micrograming software to run their games which is audited by PWC for security, but leasing software often means that updates, improvements and innovations are slow in coming.

8 Pokertropolis
A part of the Horizon20 group, Pokertropolis has a background of secure and trusted partners, but no specific information about their game security measures. It's difficult to find any information on their web site about the game without scrolling all the way to the bottom to their text links. Pokertropolis offers ring games (Yay!) and one on one tables as well as a variety of popular poker games.

9 Planet Poker
Planet Poker also offers a good selection of games, although their interface is not very pleasing. Has Mike "the Mad Genius" Caro seal of approval. Generally good traffic. Recommended.

10 24hPoker
Reasonably new to the poker scene, 24hPoker has some nice features and some good action. They make their own software which is nice, but they have very limited information on their site about their random number generator and security measures.

What makes a great poker site.

2004-11-17T03:40:00.000-08:00

Recently Poker Room had significant problems with one of their daily tournaments. In an effort to make it up to the players, they awarded the participants a free ticket to a future daily. Quite a significant and costly effort by Poker Room. Actions like this keep the players coming back.

GL

Z

Top 10 Online Poker Rooms

2004-09-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

Looking for multi-player Online Poker action? You've come to the right place! We are going to keep you posted on all the best Online Poker Rooms Online today, and the fantastic Freerolls and Poker Tournaments they are having, some of which will include amazing once in a lifetime trips aboard Caribbean cruises playing Poker in huge cash prize Poker Tournaments, and the like.
Stay tuned and bookmark this Site.