Poker News and Poker Events

The Main Event will begin on July 3rd this year, and play as normal down to the nine gamblers at the final table.

Action will then break until November, at which point play will resume November 10th, with elimination continuing through the day and possibly into the 11th to reach the champion and final player.

The break in schedule is designed to allow ESPN to broadcast the final table as a same-day event, almost covering the intensity and pressure of the last hands live. ESPN has previously broadcast the tournament as a series of programs that concluded months after the action had finished.

Reese was found by his son early Tuesday at his Las Vegas home after suffering from symptoms of pneumonia, said poker great Doyle Brunson, his longtime friend.

"Many consider Chip the greatest cash-game player who ever lived," Pollack said in a statement. "His victory in the inaugural $50,000 buy-in HORSE championship ... made him a part of WSOP lore forever."

In addition to his son, Reese is survived by a daughter and a stepdaughter, Brunson said. He was recently divorced from his wife.

Link - The state's first ever dedicated poker lounge is set to open this weekend even though the Little Rock city attorney says it's illegal.

An organization called National Poker Challenge is opening a franchise on Rodney Parham Road. The organization, based in Memphis, will open its Little Rock location officially on Saturday.

They say it’s legal because they don't charge people to play poker. But they do charge if you want your wins and losses tracked and recorded. The city attorney says that makes it gambling.

While Woman Poker Player is not one of the classic poker publications, it is ever-increasing in popularity, and may one day be listed with the greatest poker magazines of all time.

Of course, with a name like Woman Poker Player, it goes without saying that the magazine is targeted at a specific audience. This bi-monthly publication seeks to enrich the life of female poker players, and not simply by giving them tips on the game. The magazine also has articles about well-being, fashion and other aspects of life important to all women, not just the poker-playing variety.

Game Show Network has informed viewers that its top poker show "High Stakes Poker" will screen on January 15 with some exciting new talent at the table.

High profile regulars such as Doyle Brunson and Barry Greenstein will be making room for newcomers such as 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Jamie Gold and the formidable ace player Phil Ivey.

14 new players have been added to the 14 big names on the roster who played in the first two seasons of the popular show. The players buy in to the cash games with their own money, fronting anywhere from $100 000 to $1 million to play No-Limit Texas Hold'em.

There are times in sports when a reporter experiences a moment of serendipity. Someone decides to spend a year chronicling a hapless sports team that has a Cinderella year and wins the title. A documentary of an inner city kid who loves basketball turns into a chronicle about the next NBA superstar. The best example of this kind of serendipity in poker is the story of Jim McManus.

James McManus was a reporter for Harper's Magazine that always harbored an interest in poker. He convinced the magazine to send him to the World Series of Poker for two reasons: To write about the growing progress of women in the event, and to research and report on the story of Ted Binion, the son of Horseshoe Casino owner Benny Binion, who was murdered in a scandal worthy of a pulp fiction novel. But McManus also had another, more personal, idea: To win the World Series of Poker, or at least, to give it his best shot.

Inspired by the adventure of poker authors such as Anthony Holden (The Big Deal) and A. Alvarez (The Biggest Game in Town), McManus wanted to enhance his story by chronicling his own World Series of Poker adventure. With the reluctant agreement of his wife, McManus intended to use his advance for the story to enter a series of satellites, smaller single table tournaments that offered a seat in the main event as their prize.

To McManus' surprise and delight, he won one of these satellites, and would be playing in the main event. Nervous as could be, McManus resolved to play his best, calling upon his own experience playing poker simulations as well as books written by the greats of the game.

No one was more surprised than McManus when he became the story, using a combination of luck and skill to find himself at the final table, just before the era when amateurs making the final table in the WSOP final no limit Texas Hold'em event was commonplace. Adding to the excitement, McManus found himself seated with T.J. Cloutier, whose book “Championship Hold'em” McManus had studied religiously to get to where he was.

McManus finished 6th, a bit short of the title, which was won by Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, who with a lot of luck defeated Cloutier in a heads up battle. But McManus won in his own way, writing a tremendously well received article and turning it into a book, “Positively Fifth Street” which is regarded as one of the best works of poker literature ever produced.

There are a ton of books out there on Texas Hold’em today thanks to the poker explosion. Many players tend to forget that 7 card stud is still one of the most played poker games in the world, only second to Texas Holdem. Therefore it might be a good idea to improve your 7 card stud skills and the best way to do this is by reading about the it. So fear not, there are plenty of books you can read to become better at seven card stud. The following should get you started.

Super/System by Doyle Brunson
While this book is famous for its section by Doyle himself on no limit Hold’em, Super/System is actually a compilation of experts on every poker game commonly played. Naturally, this includes seven card stud. The seven card stud section in Super/System is written by Chip Reese, the winner of the 2006 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event and a player who is largely considered one of the best of all time. Reese takes readers through which starting hands to play, what to do with premium hands, and proper play on every street. There is also a section on high low split by noted poker author David Sklansky, and even a little bit on Razz (7 card stud low).

Super/System 2 by Doyle Brunson
If you are interested in playing H.O.R.S.E. you also need to read volume 2, where there is a great section on high low split written by Brunson himself--Todd Brunson, that is. The son of the poker legend has established himself as a top cash game pro, and he uses those skills here to teach eager students the ins and outs of high low stud. And by the way, as a bonus you also get the updated section on no limit Hold’em.

The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky
Sklansky's work in poker has revolutionized the game as much as Brunson's, if not more. In his seminal work, The Theory of Poker, Sklansky gives you all the basics, from the mathematical concepts to the psychological ones to the strategic ones, and covers everything in between. This is not a book just on Seven Card Stud but rather about general in depth poker theory.

Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players by David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth and Ray Zee
What Hold'em for Advanced Players did for that game, Sklansky does for seven card stud in this volume. Master this book and you will be prepared for any stud game. Sklansky shows you everything you need to know about ante stealing, playing strong and weak hands, playing draws, playing loose games, and all of the other key poker concepts as they relate specifically to the game of seven card stud.

Seven card stud is a complex game, more complex than many players may realize. Gaining expertise in seven card stud can reap great financial rewards. Study the books above and you will be well on your way to taking down any seven card stud game you care to sit in.

NBC invites viewers into the exclusive Las Vegas poker scene with its new late night show, Poker After Dark, which debuts Jan. 2 at 2 a.m. ET.

The nightly hourlong show will be hosted by one of poker’s most recognizable faces, Hiatt. It will air Monday through Saturday and feature six poker professionals vying for a winner-take-all $120,000 first-place prize.

Each night of the original programming will feature an intimate look at one game as it develops over the week, culminating with a win on Friday night. Saturday night's show — the “director’s cut” — will recap the week’s events with Hiatt. That week’s winner will offer commentary and insight into the player’s winning strategy.

Set in the back rooms of various Vegas strip casinos, Poker After Dark gives viewers an inside look at a poker game usually reserved for the eyes of the professional poker players themselves. Poker After Dark will feature the best professional players in the world, all of whom will be miked-up during the weekly battles for over $100,000. Each episode will last an hour.

The pros include Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Erick Lindgren, Jennifer Harman, and Gus Hansen.

Poker phenom Alex Jacob captured his first major title Saturday, winning $878,000 in the 2006 United States Poker Championships $10,000 Main Event.

Jacob's victory in one of the country's largest non-tour tournaments solidifies his standing as one of poker's rising young stars. In just one year of live-tournament play, Jacob has won more than $1.6 million.

Jacob also made two final tables this summer at the World Series of Poker and cashed in four events.

Jacob beat 261 of the biggest names in poker over five days at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J. to win the U.S. Poker Championship.

PocketFives.com, the online poker authority, produces a weekly Podcast covering the spectrum of the online poker world. The show features interviews with some of the greatest minds in online poker, along with the latest news from major poker tournaments, and a look at the latest industry developments. The show premiered on March 30, 2006 and airs weekly. Recently, Citadel Commerce, “one of the most recognized payment processing brands in the industry” according to its website, began sponsoring the show. The union of these two brands represents the growth of poker as a true American pastime.

Some top names, both from the world of sports and the world of poker, have agreed to join the Eight Annual Tucker Celebrity Golf and Poker Tournament in Minnesota. It seems like Mr. Tucker has outdone himself this time as he has not only got Michael Jordan to join but also athletes Charles Oakley and Scottie Pippen. To match the top athletes some of the best poker players in the world will also play. Among the best known are Patrick Antonius, Phil Ivey and former world champions Chris Ferguson and Johnny Chan.

The poker tournament will be held September 8th and cost $2.500. The golf tournament will start the next day at the Rush Creek Golf Club. The earnings will go to the Trent Tucker Youth Program. Mr. Tucker who won an NBA championship in 1993 is known for his charitable work among the youth. The event is has several sponsors including the World Poker Store.

It’s very pleasing to see such a great lineup of poker professionals devoting themselves to such an admirable cause. Phil Ivey might be the general public not be known for much else than his great poker skills and excellent poker face but Phil Ivey is a great philanthropist who gives plenty to different charities.

The Amateur Poker Association & Tour (APAT), in association with PokerStars.com and PokerPlayer Magazine, launched this week. APAT looks set to promise a bright future for the amateur, or up and coming, poker player.

The APAT is the world’s first combined Poker Association and Tour and the opening tour event has already been arranged. The plush Broadway casino in Birmingham is the venue for the English Amateur Poker Championship on September 23rd and 24th. The tournament offers 10,000 starting chips to players and therefore should be a very "poker player friendly" event.

Season one will feature seven national and international events culminating in European and World Amateur Poker Championships. Each APAT event winner will receive a cash prize, an engraved Championship Cup and an expenses paid European Poker Tour or World Series Of Poker main event entry.

In live poker, talking is a small but forceful component of the game. Many professional and amateur players keep their mouths running in the hope of rattling the other players. The comments can be pointed and direct ("You can't play with me"), jocular and teasing ("Show this man some love. I'm killing him."), or take the form of a running commentary, as if a jockey were calling the race he's in ("I'm taking this table down. You can't beat me. Look at these cards! I'll show you my hand and still win. King-10? Good hand, but nothing compared to my ace-King. I'm going to have to just go all in with these cards.").

When playing online, you can try to keep tabs on the other players to learn their habits, but with thousands of people moving in and out of various tables, all with names such as Acebuster44, TizShowtime, and TopTitty19, it is almost impossible to fix on a weakling. If you sit in front of your computer and fidget and slump and cough and sneeze and cry, no one will notice. If your hands shake uncontrollably before hitting the 'raise' button, it won't make a bit of difference. So, how do players identify the easy money? They use the few fleeting seconds between cards and bets to be as nasty and as immature as possible to try to draw you out.

Because you have space for no more than half a dozen words, and the bets move quickly around the table, trash-talking is usually brief and uncorrected. This often causes snide remarks to have the quality of coming from a 12-year-old dyslexic with a mean streak: "Get a life, dubmass." If you play your hand poorly, you may get called a donkey or a fish, as in you went fishing for cards. Check-raise someone and get "bitch-slapped." Verbally, of course. Mothers and grandmothers are fair game, as is your place of employment—more often than not it's Taco Bell. While it's common enough to be handed the conciliatory 'nh' (nice hand), which requires a polite 'ty' (thank you), if you slow-play the table out of all their money, the abbreviations may turn to curse words.