Big Pair - Didn't see that one coming!

Famous Poker Quotes...

"I never go looking for a sucker. I look for a Champion and make a sucker of of him."

----------------Amarillo Slim

Colorado Bar Poker Offices Raided

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Colorado Bar Poker Offices Raided

Colorado gambling investigators raided the offices of an organized poker tour this week, confiscating records, membership lists and other documents of what they claim is an illegal amateur poker operation.

No arrests have been made in what investigators say is an ongoing investigation.

The search warrant targeted the offices of the Amateur Poker Tour in Wheat Ridge. Calls to the poker tour and its officers were not returned.

The tour, which is a registered Colorado corporation, according to investigators, conducts an average of 15 to 18 poker games nightly in various bars, taverns and night clubs around the metro area, from Evergreen to Fort Lupton.

Some of the venues listed on the website are Club Zodiac in Westminster, Deuces Poker Room in Thornton, Teddy T's in Aurora, The Pub on Pearl in Denver and others.

Each of the venues is required to pay the tour $300 each quarter as well as $50 per table per night to host the card games. All of this is legal, investigators said, and the venues try to recoup the fees from profits on the food and drink sales to the poker players.

Colorado Bureau of Investigation agent Ralph Gagliardi, who headed the investigation along with members of the state's Division of Gaming, said the Amateur Poker Tour has roughly 2,250 members.

Of those, about 250 are Gold Card members who pay an annual fee of $199 for the card, which entitles them to play in exclusive poker games twice a month with stakes of $10,000 or more.

It's that portion of the operation that investigators say is illegal.

Players who don't pay the fee cannot participate in the tournaments, Gagliardi said.

Gagliardi said poker is legal in Colorado as long as the players don't have to pay to join a game.

"There are a number of poker operators that are legitimate in the state," he said. "Players can join a game for free, and are given chips for free. At the end of a game, the winner can trade the chips in for prizes, including cash which might come from the operator.

"An illegal poker operation is one in which players pay a fee to play," said Gagliardi. "Social poker games are legal, but when a host or organizer charges any kind of fee for participation, Colorado law defines the game as illegal."

The Amateur Poker Tour's website, www.amseriespoker.com, stated that the Gold Card membership pages have recently been taken down with the notice: "We are currently reviewing our VIP Gold membership program."

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Bay 101 Shooting Stars Of Poker

End of Day 1 at 2007 Bay 101 Shooting Star Championship

Yahoo! Enters the Online Poker Industry in the UK

April 26, 2007

Yahoo hase launched real money online poker on Yahoo.co.uk. Yahoo Poker has partnered with St. Minver Ltd., the white-label online gaming specialists from Gibraltar and join IPN, the International Poker Network owned and operated by Sweden’s Boss Media AB.

Today’s news may well mark a shift in the balance of power in the online gaming industry. Gaming Intelligence Group has reported in the past on the potential for one of the largest web portals to enter market, and their prospects remain good.

As one of the most recognisable brands in the world, with one of the biggest databases of online consumers, Yahoo is in a position to rapidly challenge the established online gaming companies.

Both PartyGaming and PokerStars have previously stated that the real competition starts when the first of the online giants enters the online poker industry, and the first out is Yahoo! We can only wait and see who follows, but the obvious names are E-bay, Google and Microsoft. For all three companies, the addition of online poker would be highly profitable and it would almost seem wrong if they did not consider it at some point in the near future.

Yahoo Poker’s customers will be joining the International Poker Network of Boss Media through their partner company St. Minver, which means that they will be facing mostly European players on the network.

The addition of Yahoo to IPN will be an extremely significant boost. With the potential to become the biggest European poker network, it will be interesting to follow the impact that this will have on Yahoo Poker, the International Poker Network and the online poker industry as a whole.

Considering the fact that Sportingbet’s Paradise Poker will migrate over to IPN in the next few months, we predict that the International Poker Network will soon be among the three biggest online poker networks in the world.

Six months on from the introduction of the UIGEA in the United States and on the day that Congressman Barney Frank announced his bill to regulate online gaming, this news marks another seismic event in the relatively short history of the online gaming industry.

Patrick Antonius Vs Erick Lindgren

Another Indianapolis Police Raid

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Metropolitan police have arrested a Noblesville, Illinois man they say owns two illegal poker clubs in Marion County.

Donald J. Willis, 44, was arrested on a felony charge of promoting professional gambling Tuesday at the Castleton River Club, 9402 Uptown Drive, according to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Sgt. Jon Daggy. Willis was the only person at the business when police served a warrant at about 10 a.m., Daggy said. Willis also owns the Indy River Club, 7043 Girls School Ave., Daggy said. On April 2, police raided that club, arresting four people who ran the games and citing 30 players for misdemeanors.

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The Nuts - Card Protectors

Kenny Rogers Launches Poker Site

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It didn’t work for Pamela Anderson.

Will it work for “the Gambler”?

Kenny Rogers knows when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em, but with the launch of THEGAMBLERPOKERCLUB.COM website, there's no doubt the country music legend knows how to open 'em as well.

"It's amazing how many people are out there that love to play poker, but there are so few legal and safe places to play. That's what makes us so special," says Rogers.

The free and legal poker club offers players the chance to win a free 7 night 8 day cruise each night for the next two weeks. All members are also offered the chance to win a seat at this year’s World Series of Poker, a prize worth $10,000.

To sweeten the pot, The Gambler Mobile will give everyone who registers during the month of April a three-day, two-night stay at one of 35 vacation destinations, including Las Vegas, Reno, Disney World or the Bahamas.

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Long Island Poker Raid

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April 23, 2007

Out on Long Island, in the town of Baldwin, a poker room of six poker tables was shut down by police last Saturday resulting in the arrest of the owner.

After receiving a tip about the gambling house, at Gemma's Soccer Inc. at 2394 Grand Ave. in Baldwin, Nassau Police from the First Precinct raided the operation on Saturday, led by Sgt. Kevin Driscoll and officer James Tobin.
On entering Gemma's Soccer the police saw about 15 people gambling at card tables in a rear room, and also saw open alcohol containers throughout the building. In the main foyer of the building, two video arcade-style games were found and seized. The owner of Gemma's Soccer, Michael Durso, 39, was arrested at his home at 320 Cedar Swamp Road in Glen Head by Sixth Precinct officers Daniel Lowry and Robert Cooper.

Durso was charged with promoting gambling and possession of a gambling device. He faces arraignment May 7 at First District Court in Hempstead. Police were accompanied by officials from the Nassau County Fire Marshal and Hempstead Town building department.

So far, no reports of any SWAT teams, drug-sniffing dogs, or National Guard helicopters used by law enforcement on this raid.

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Poker Players Alliance - Poker Presidents

www.pokerplayersalliance.org

Tuesday Notes

Last night I played at a local home game. He used to run a regular game out of his house for about 2 years and then it just ran its course and died out. He has started it back up and seeing how I live about 5 minutes from him it is easy for me to get to. The game was supposed to be a round of Holdem and a round of Omaha but the first night of play the field was decisively Holdem players and only a few of us wanted to play Omaha so we wound up playing only Holdem. It was a good lineup of players and as usual everyone was well behaved and made the evening entertaining.

A couple hands of note that I was involved in follow. I really have been trying to make good reads lately and put people on hands and follow through with my reads. Last night pushed my reads. Button raises the 5/5 blinds to 20 and I look down to find AJ offsuit, I call with about 4 other guys. The flop comes all diamonds including the Ace and Jack of diamonds and it checks around to the button. He bets $30 and it folds all around to me, I have a hard time putting him on diamonds from his preflop raise and want to know where I stand so I check raise and make it $80 straight, "G" then pushes all in for another $240 or so. Huh? I say to myself. What do you have exactly? I really go into the tank and take a couple of minutes to play the hand out and finally say out loud I believe you have the Ace of Clubs and the King of Diamonds, therefore I call. "G" looked a little surprised and turned over his hand to show me the Ace of clubs and the Queen of Diamonds. The turn brings another Ace which fills me up and takes away any flush draw but "G" can still hit a Q to fill up bigger, thankfully a blank comes on the river and I double up. I thought that was a great play by "G" in that he really made me think long and hard about folding. There were a couple of other hands that allowed me to cash out $400 winner. Nice evening considering the lineup and amount on the table.

One thing I have been trying to work on for quite some time now is bluffing. I don't do it often and when I do it is not really a huge bluff, more like a cheap shot at the pot if I feel everyone else is weak. I have a lot of respect for players who can with a straight face push their entire chip stack in the middle on a complete bluff. The Juice comes to mind. It is plays like that that allow him to get paid off when he has monster hands cause everyone always thinks he is bluffing. A week or two ago The Juice made a great bet on the river and I paid him off. He flopped quad Kings and checked it all the way to the river and allowed me to fill up on the river and I surely paid him off. I have been telling Senior Juice I am going to pull off a huge bluff on him and then show it when I do. I figure if I can bluff the master then it is worth showing. I'll check back in once this happens.

Poker Math

Someone was asking me about poker math over a recent game and I remembered this earlier post by Rick and decided I'd re-post it. Enjoy!


Poker Math

Talk all you want about pot odds and implied odds, I came up with an equation that I find to be more mathematically true than all others:

Large Stack + Complacency = Small Stack

Throw in alcohol and/or lack of sleep, and it equals Rebuy! As anyone who has ever been on a diet knows, it’s much easier to gain weight than lose weight, and it’s no different when it comes to the chip stack. On many occasions I’ve played solid poker for the first few hours and built a nice little stack, only to get a bit bored and a bit tired, and began playing marginal hands out of position.

The typical example of this in a $2-4 game goes something like this: Two limpers in front, look down to see something like 9-8os and throw in the $4, hoping to catch a flop. Someone raises behind to $14, and by the time everyone calls and it gets back to you you’re most likely getting great pot odds to call. Now what do you do if the flop comes 9-6-2 rainbow, do you call a bet or raise with this hand? Do you put your opponent on A-K or J-J? What do you do if the flop is 10-7-3, and the pre-flop raiser puts in a large bet or raise? What if the turn and river comes 6-6, are you willing to risk all your chips on this one hand?

Let’s look at another scenario. Say you have Q-Q, the flop comes 9-6-2 rainbow, and you’re facing a big bet or raise. Are you willing to put all your hard-earned chips at risk on this hand?

For me, the answer to all these questions is simply…it depends. It depends on many things: the situation, your opponent, your read, your stack, your opponent’s stack, etc. The primary goal in poker is to make good decisions, and in these types of situations, it can be difficult to make the correct decision when you’re alert, much less when you’re tired, bored or drunk. The majority of hands pretty much play themselves, but these are the types of hands that can whittle away your stack if you’re not careful.

How many times have you had a stack of, say $800 or so, only to look down 90 minutes later to see $350, and think to yourself “I wasn’t involved in a big hand, where did all my chips go?” Well, if you were bored, tired or drunk, chances are they slowly disappeared one hand at a time while you were trying to catch a flop with 9-8os!

See ya at the tables...
Rick

Get the Silverback!

There are monkeys, and then there are monkeys. (Yes, I’m sure some poker-playing primatologist will make some futile attempt to explain the difference between monkeys and gorillas, but since I’m now officially a Southerner, I ain’t not know no better, and I don’t not care…).

Friday night Omaha 8, and I look down at 9s-10c-10d-Jd. I limp, along with pretty much the entire table, and see a flop of Ad-Qd-10s. Not a horrible flop, as I have bottom set, with straight and flush draws. Still, I need help before I put too many more chips in the middle. After calling a small flop bet (along with several others), my help comes in the form of the 7d on the turn, giving me the second-nut flush. Elvie makes a small bet into me, a bet which seems to me like a defensive one. I have a couple players behind me, and decide I need to make a pot-sized raise for two reasons: A) to see if the nut flush is out there, and B) to hopefully get rid of any low draws. Of course, I want to get called by a straight, set, or smaller flush.

The action folds to Elvie, who makes the call. I love this result, with no re-raise I obviously now know I have the best hand. Now I just need to not get corn-holed on the river... Since Elvie has to know I have a flush, I have to assume he’s drawing live. He most likely would have mucked a flopped straight after my raise on the turn, unless he had a good redraw to go along with it. At this point I put him on A-A, or possibly Q-Q. I’m praying for the case 10, which should be good for the rest of his chips (yes, I’m a greedy bastard – this fact has been well-established…). No such luck – but the river brings the Kd instead, giving me a royal flush!

Akash (bless his heart) immediately says to me “Sooooo, you weren’t betting the nut flush after all!” To which I reply something like “You know me, I’m just trying to bet Elvie off of the best hand.” Elvie checks, and I make a small value bet (around $125 I think, which was about half his remaining chips), and he makes the crying call. I believe he said he had aces and a smaller flush. I think it was Stone who said he flopped middle set (queens), so three players flopped a set!

All told, it was another good night. I scooped a couple other nice pots with the double-nuts. One was when I held As-3s, the flop comes something like 2s-4s-8s, I get action all the way to the river and the flush holds up. I look forward to tomorrow night, when I once again venture into the poker jungle in search of the elusive Silverback!

See ya at the tables…
Rick

High Stakes Poker Season 2

Watch close when Gabe says "NICE PAIR"

TPJ's Triangle Poker Poll

TPJ's Triangle Poker Poll

Vote for your favorite players and tell us about what's going on in local poker. The local players who get the most votes will receive a special award. And a few voters will receive incredibly trivial poker prizes just for expressing their opinions!

So vote today!


www.trianglepokerjournal.com/

PPA: Call To Arms

Followup: ComeOutPoker Out of Business

Followup: ComeOutPoker Out of Business

By George Smart, Editor

Last fall, ComeOutPoker opened to much fanfare claiming to be the world's first online poker site catering exclusively to the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender (GLBT) community.

Following up on this story, it seems ComeOutPoker has gone out of business, folding into http://www.bugsysclub.com/.

It also turns out ComeOutPoker was not so unique. Other gay poker sites like TwoJacksTwoQueens (www.2jacks2queens.com) and the Gay Poker Tour (www.gaypokertour.net) also run cash games and tournaments.

Friendly Night of Poker

Well, we got together with some friends for a friendly game of poker. Pretty low stakes relatively speaking... no rake, I furnished the drinks and we all chipped in for the pizza.... it was kind of nice. Yeah! Too damn nice!

The biggest hand of the night was in Omaha 8 with 3 of us chasing the gold ring. I've the As, 3c, 6c, Qs and the flop is 2s, 5s, 8h. Since we're playing pot limit $1/$2 blinds. The pots are pretty slow to grow but this hand was a little different. One of our friends brought in a new guy and he was really new, I don't think he'd ever played O8 before and my guess is that this will probably be his last time. Because on the turn, he hit his card to give him a straight and pushed all-in with his remaining $20 or so. Jim called and I called. Then the river delivered my nut flush, but counterfeited my 3 but it did give me the nut flush with a live Ace. I'm figuring that worst case scenario, a big push on my part will probably quarter either Jim or the new guy and best case scenario, I scoop. The pot is about $80 or so and Jim deliberates, thinks... none of those are really good descriptive words of what Jim was doing... he was wasting time so I called the clock. LOL. He finally calls and I scoop.

We didn't play very late, but it was a lot of fun. We played some of the old games too. Kings and little ones. Screw your neighbor. Baseball. And even a couple hands of Boo-ray! Nice!

I was the big winner although compared to most of the games I play, it was about like winning or losing one pot. LOL. We'll definitely do it again.

I did run into 2 straight flushes late that lowered my winnings some, but it was worth it..... anytime you have five of a kind and lose.... that's a good night!

The Last Hand of the Night

Normally, the last hand of the night is not a big winner. Even if one is planning to leave after a particular hand, then happen to scoop a nice pot, they will usually cave in to the good-natured chants of “hit and run” from the other players at the table, and stick around for at least a few more hands. In most cases, the last hand is fairly uneventful – it’s about the time you need to leave, you stick around until the big blind gets to you, then cash out and go home. If the hand is in fact eventful, more often than not it’s a hand where you lose your entire stack of chips. If it’s been a bad night, you just cut your losses and pack it in early.

The last hand on Tuesday night was between Dave, Eric and me. It wasn’t for a huge pot or anything, but it was interesting for the way it played out. The game was breaking up, as two or three others cashed out just before. I had a decent night, and was preparing to cash out myself. Eric, who is down to a very small stack ($65 I think), asks Dave and I if we just want to each put the $65 in and play the last hand (NLHE) blind. Sure, we say, and toss the chips in the middle. Jarod deals the cards, and turns up a flop of K-7-3. I was going to wait until the river to look at my hand, but the others open up their cards to reveal junk, so I go ahead and open mine, only to reveal pocket kings! A brick on the turn means they’re both drawing dead, but for good measure Jarod turns up the case king on the river. Quad kings – Get the Monkey on the way out the door!

I can only hope that tonight I’ll pick up where I left off!

See ya at the tables…
Rick

Omaha 8 & Hold'em

Three big hands....

The first one came rather early against Jimmy.... there was a little pre-flop raise and with me holding A, A, 4, 5... I almost re-popped it, but didn't. The flop brings a K, K, 10 so no low, but the betting checks all the way around. The turn was a beautiful Ace! Nice. So I lead out with $10 bet, just something to build the pot. There's only one caller.... Jimmy. The river is a brick! I bet $75 and Jimmy re-pops it all-in. He only had another $100 so although I felt that I was dead to his quads, I made a crying call and said... "Someone get him the monkey." And sure enough, quad kings.

By the way, it was about this time that I told Rick. "You know, I was thinking and I don't know that you have really been that lucky. It's just that I have been horrifically unlucky!"

The next big hand came against Juice, Eli & Tom. We're playing hold'em and I'm holding A, Jos. There was a straddle by the Juice to about $10 and I think there were about 6 callers. When it gets back to the Juice, he pops it another $50. Eli calls and I have a strong suspicion that I am ahead so I push all-in for another $300ish. Everyone folds to the Juice so swears he laid down pocket Queens. I still don't believe that one. Eli thinks for a few seconds and he calls. I really would have been happy just to take down the pot right there. Everyone else folds and I show my A, J and Eli turns over Kd, 10d. The flop brings all low cards and the turn in the river doesn't improve Eli's hand.

The next big hand was my last hand of the night. I've Ac, 3h, 5h, Kh. There's a $25 straddle by the Juice and most of the table calls. The flop is absolutely beautiful! 2h, 7h, 8c. The Juice immediately pushes all-in and I take no time at all to call with my nut low (with a pretty good back-up low) and my second nut flush draw. Tom deliberates for some time and eventually makes the call. Juice has us both covered and I was actually the short stack with exactly $600 remaining. The juice turns over A, A, X, X, but with no low and only the Ace of hearts. Tom has a set of sevens and a straight draw and again no hearts. I'm really liking my hand. Unfortunately Tom ends up making a straight and my nut low holds up. A nice way to end the night.... although somehow the Juice got his panties in a knot and starting whining about me cashing out after winning a big pot. Music to my ears!

Back to the felt!

Dallas Poker Raid April 15

Dallas Poker Raid April 15
Audio Interview at www.trianglepokerjournal.com

Source: www.Pokerati.com

The Dallas Police Department continued its crackdown on poker by raiding the Audie Murphy VFW Post 1837 on the evening of April 15. There were reportedly seven full tables running when nearly 20 police officers entered the room. It was the vice squad this time, not the SWAT team. though some undercover player-officers were donning black hoods, face masks, and sunglasses to keep their identity sealed — one of whom responded to the name “Curtis.” No arrests were made, and about 70 players were issued gambling citations. Some employees of the poker room were cited for “keeping a gambling place.” According to Deputy Chief (Vice and Narcotics) J.A. Bernal, most of the alleged poker criminals “appeared to be hardworking, normal citizens; average everyday working joes. That’s what we found here today.” Here are some pictures from the raid:

This VFW bust comes after an attempted armed robbery at one Dallas room the previous Friday night as police were reportedly raiding other poker rooms (including the Island Club and new Top Shelf). Dallas PD tells Pokerati that more gambling raids are to come.

Meanwhile, legislators in Austin are considering a bill to legalize some semblance of poker games similar to the one taking place at the VFW. Several state and local politicians support this bill (HB 3186) … presumably as an example of sensible government … including Dallas District Attorney Craig Watkins, whose office now has at least another 100 poker-related misdemeanors added to its caseload.

Police are in a bind. They say this bust (like most others) was in response to a “citizen complaint” … and they are right when they say they are obligated to respond. Likewise, the DA has to prosecute — even if he doesn’t agree with the law. As a result of everyone simply trying to do their job in accordance with laws that may be outdated but are still on the books …. it becomes a simple question of resource allocation for both the cops and the courts in a city that has the highest violent crime rate in the nation.

When Pokerati arrived on the scene, all the players were gone, but there were a few marked police cars, and cops were loading up the official DPD U-haul with chips and tables … Inside, eight or nine peace officers in dark, wrap-around sunglasses (and a few wearing black ninja-style face masks) corralled around the main table like, er, poker players … counting money and pushing stacks around as they took inventory.

This raid follows on the heels of last November, when one of the largest raid operations in North Texas took place. Three simultaneous raids used hidden camera video and floor plans for each of three locations before the raids were executed.
A total of 100 players were dealt unlucky hands when authorities crashed the parties, including breaking in windows at one a northwest Dallas office complex. That raid, along with one on Forrest Lane and another on Swiss Avenue resulted in 20 arrests of operators and dealers, 79 citations for players and $43,000 in cash seized. No one was arrested.

To date, according to Pokerati, Dallas Police have closed down many local games. Pokerati claims there has not yet been a single conviction (by judge or jury) of more than 200 potential defendants. Here is their list of underground poker rooms put out of business recently:

Aces
Jackie’s
JB’s/Goodfellows
Ace High
R&R #2
VFW-Audie Murphy
Top Shelf
Island Club
DC’s Poker House

Outside of Dallas:
EV Enterprises (Richardson)
Sons of Italy (McKinney)
Poker Pound (Duncanville)
R’s Game (Addison)
R&R (Carrollton)

At www.trianglepokerjournal.com, you will find the audio from an impromptu, late-night interview with the Dallas police official who seemed to be in charge of the post-raid cleanup at the Audie Murphy VFW. He provides some basic facts about this latest police incursion and some insight into how local games are seen by the police.

Mentioned in the Interview

Vice unit does more gambling busts than SWAT
Citizen complaints start the process, DA’s office on the other
Two weeks of investigation nets search warrant for 70+ misdemeanors
Should Dallas expect more busts? “Absolutely”
One person had some outstanding drug charges
Police found a small amount of methamphetamine at the VFW
Texas ABC was also there … found violations in VFW pool hall/bar next door
No federal involvement (yet) but investigation continues after takedown … relevant info forwarded to the IRS
“hard-working normal citizens, average everyday working joes” (at 6:35 on the tape)

A-A vs. A-A

Okay, okay, it was only Omaha, but still…

Friday night brought the usual group of suspects together in Cary for our weekly game of “But, I had the nuts on the turn!” The night was fairly young. I had won a couple smaller pots and had increased my 500 POINT buy-in (remember, it’s ILLEGAL to play for MONEY, so we play for POINTS) to around 650-700 POINTS. We’re playing 2/5 Omaha 8, and maybe half the hands have a live straddle to help spur on the action. This particular hand, I believe there is a re-straddle to 30 POINTS.

I’m in early position, and look down to find Ah-Ad-Qs-Js. Of course, my first thought is that I wish this was one our rare high-only hands (it’s dealer’s choice, though we usually play 95+% high-low), but no such luck. I toss in the call, there’s another caller, and the action is to Stone, who raises the pot – another 120 POINTS or so. Everyone folds, and the action is to me.

As I’ve mentioned before here, I normally don’t like raising pre-flop in this game, even with a premium hand like A-A-2-3. However, I will sometimes re-raise if I have a very good hand, and I believe that either A) I can win the pot right then and there, or B) I can isolate someone. Stone has a fairly large stack and is a pretty tight player, and could have made the raise with K-K or some nice low cards, something like A-2-3-5 with a suit. A re-raise by me will tell him I obviously have aces and something to go with them (in this case, flush and straight draws), and I figure there is a good chance I can take down the pot right there. If not, well then I’ll just have to see what the poker gods have in store for me this time...

I re-pop to 360 POINTS, and it folds to Stone who re-pops all-in for another 180 POINTS or so, announcing “Well, I guess you know what I have.” I make the call, and he turns over As-Ac-10s-6s, pretty much the one hand I don’t want to see – the other two aces with a low draw. He even has my spades covered (though with at least five of them out, the chances of a flush are slim). I immediately start praying to the normally-vengeful poker gods, asking for big cards on the flop. Either I caught them in an unusually sympathetic moment, or (more likely) they had my prayer confused with someone else’s, because the dealer peels off a flop of K-Q-Q. Woo hoo! Stone is all but drawing dead, as the J that gives him a straight also fills me up. Two bricks are turned up on the turn and river, and I scoop a nice little pot.

I scooped a couple other decent pots later in the evening, and for the most part stayed away from the trouble hands before they cost me too much mon, er… too many POINTS. I ended the night with around 2,800 more POINTS than I started with. Of course, these POINTS have NO CASH VALUE, as that would be ILLEGAL - it’s all about having fun. Still, I slept well that night, secure in the knowledge that I had scored more POINTS than the other guys. Because in the end, it’s all about having a good time - mon, er… POINTS are just a way of keeping score.

See ya at the tables…
Rick

Midnight Madness on Full Tilt

So I entered the Midnight Madness tournament late last night on Full Tilt with the idea that it would be a good way to end a night and make my eyes tired enough to fall asleep at a normal hour for once.

Well...that was the plan anyway.

1,096 people entered.

When we were down to two tables I had one big hand where I had JJ. There was an all in by a short stack followed by a smooth call by a big stack. I go all in hopinng to isolate the shorty but I end up getting ANOTHER caller and the shorty and the original caller. Now Im feeling really bad about my jacks. When the cards are flipped I am up against an assortment of over cards...but no pairs. I think there was AK, AQ, QK...i guess they used up enough of each others outs that my Jacks actually held up - This gave me a decent stack and I went in to the final table 3rd in chips.

With 5 of us left I got in to a big hand with the chipleader. I had QQ on a J high board and he laid down his smaller pocket pair to my eventual all in. This hand made me the chipleader with 5 left.

Down to 4 handed I lost some chips with my 88 against KK which I think I lost the minimum on, but this brought me to 2nd in chips.

Down to 3 handed I had a chance to knock a guy out...K10 on a board of KQx...he bets, I go all in and he calls with Q and a flush draw and hits his flush on the river. This knocked me down to 3rd in chips, but then the guy who is second (who just hit his flush) gets knocked out just a few hands later.

I go to heads up with about 250,000 in chips. Chip leader has 1.2 million. On the very first hand in the small blind I smooth call with 88 hoping he will push. He does with A3. I call. He wins. Its over.

I cash for $1300.

Finally got to bed around 5 am, but I guess it was worth the nice payday.

Brian Wolfe Cashes Twice in Bellagio Five Star Poker Classic

Brian Wolfe Cashes Twice in Bellagio Five Star Poker Classic



Brian Wolfe of Raleigh won $40,015 in the Bellagio Five Star Poker Classic on April 11. Against a field of 251 players, he took 4th on the $3000 buy-in. He also won 14th and $5330 in the $2000 buy-in against 288 players. This puts Brian’s career winnings at $96,000, almost in the Triangle Poker Journal Top Ten.



Congratulations, Brian!

STRIP POKER

PPA President's Corner Update

PPA Mentions Cary Poker Bust! JOIN TODAY!

Simpsons - Dogs Playing Poker

WPT Bad Boys of Poker

Value vs. taking the small pot?

We've all done it. Flopped a monster and in trying to get some value for our hand, slow play it to let someone catch up. And then they catch up.... and then they bust you! LOL.

It has happened to me many times. Recently I was playing in a $120 buy-in No Limit Hold 'em tourney. I ran into a cold deck early on when there was pre-flop raise and I call with Ah, Qs and the flop comes A, K, 8. The turn is a brick and the river is Q. The pre-flop raiser checked to the river and bet $500. Guess what he had.... pocket 8's.

The hand that knocked me out though was the one that I was trying to get some value out of.... I'm in the big blind with K, 3, off-suit with no raises and there were 3 limpers. The flop comes K, K, A. I check and the turn is a 4. I check and J pushes all in. I almost folded thinking that my kicker was suspect, but then remembered that there was an afternoon movie that I wanted to see... LOL. Yep, he had pocket 4's. I love contributing to the finances of the less fortunate, even if they aren't less fortunate.

If I ever quit poker, they'll all have to get real jobs.

A Cold Deck...

…Followed by some cold water (the river, that is).

Last night we had a nice, juicy game with, well, The Juice! I’m not quite sure how he got the nickname – I assume it’s because he’s so easy to squeeze money out of (I kid because I care, Dave…). At any rate, we’re five-handed to start with, and we haven’t been playing long before Dave doubles me up over the course of 2-3 NLHE hands, giving me around $800 or so (thanks buddy!). The rush continues as I look down to find Q-Q on the button. John M. is UTG and raises the $5 BB to $20. Although he has turned into an almost hyper-aggressive player, I’m pretty sure he has some kind of hand, and will almost certainly call a large raise, so I raise to $75, a little more than I normally would. John thinks for a minute and announces he’s all-in for around $250-300 more (I never did ask for an exact count).

Yikes – did I really run into A-A or K-K? In many situations against certain players, it’s not too tough of a lay-down. In a tournament it’s an easy lay-down. In a loose cash game against an aggressive player, running well with the larger stack and getting 1.5:1 on my money – that’s just not a lay-down I’ll make very often. Hell, worst-case scenario is I’m behind, at which point I can execute Plan B (the suckout). I make the call, and John turns over K-K.

Dang - time for Plan B. That plan doesn’t seem to be working too well either, as I get no help on the flop or the turn. In the immortal words of David Byrne, “Take me to the river…” The inevitable pain comes for John in the form of the case Q (turns out Dave folded the other one). As usual, my trap worked just the way I drew it up. :-) Remember John, when you hit your card on the river, you can’t get sucked out on. I love it when a plan comes together!

See ya at the tables…
Rick

NC Could Cash In First!

With all the press that POKER is getting right now, it would be absolutely awesome if some enterprising NC politician would see the opportunity for NC to really cash in on the opportunity to be one of the first in the region to pass legislation that would legalize and permit the opening of POKER rooms in the state. I would be willing to bet that we would pull tourists into the state from several surrounding states hunting legal games thus not only increasing business for the newly created poker rooms, but also hotel rooms, restaurants, service stations, airlines, etc.

It wouldn't surprise me for one of the first states to make the move, that is.... going to happen in many states, to perhaps even attract a large event sponsored by some of the existing poker "tours" that want to increase the awareness and popularity of the game.

To continue to force the millions of people in the US underground is absolutely ridiculous and a waste of potential revenue for the State of NC. The first one to step forward will absolutely get my vote and I'm certain that there are thousands of poker players in NC that would agree with me. Come on... do the right thing! Legalize the game!

Something interesting about "Poker Runs"

http://www.bikersmag.com/html/nc_poker_runs_legal_issues.html

I am all for a protest at the Cary Police Dept. poker run.

The waiting is the hardest part.

I just got back from a trip to Kentucky to visit my relatives and was fortunate to get a few hours away to head to Harrah's at Metropolis, IL on Monday and play what is unfortunately becoming a more rare game of poker for me. I always look forward to playing at Metropolis since the play is very fast and very loose. Unfortunately, going into this trip I had never won here, in part because I spent too much time trying to take control of the table (a tactic that has served me well in AC and Vegas and to some extent here in Raleigh.)
I went over with $400 available figuring the game would be $1/$3 NL with a $50-300 buy-in but was surprised to find that on Mondays it was a $2/$5 NL, $100-no max. So my plan of buying in for $200 flew out the window and I ponied up the full $400 to sit at a table where the average starting stack was about $800. (Noone over $1200 thankfully.) I figured I would play ultra tight but for hand one I had AQ offsuit, and opened the pot for $20 in middle position. Much to my surprise everyone folded to the big blind (Whom I will now refer to as Sarge for clarity) who made a begrudging call and dark checked.
I missed what was a well-coorinated flop (J 10 8 with two clubs I believe) and checked to to see the turn. A 2 came on the turned and he piddled a $10 in which I called. I was willing to toss those chips to get a gage on the temperment of the table. The river came a blank, and I called another $10. He revealed a 5 2 claiming the small pot, but the info given and sent was well worth it to me.
I then sat and waited for two and a half hours as Sarge (in seat 3) and "Bud" (in seat 10, I was in seat 7) started a raising fest which slowed the game to a grind but produced alot of massive pots. Every once in a while I'd open with a raise with AJ suited or AQ, but was usually chased by Bud raising and Sarge and maybe one other player calling. I tried to take opportunities when I had position on Bud and Sarge to see cheap flops, but kept missing. After two and a half hours I had dwindled down to $218 in front of me so I broke a promise to myself and sought the ATM for a quick $300 refill.
Two hands after this refill I had A 10 of hearts. Sarge made his standard opening raise, he was opening for a raise in 60% of the pots. One guy called, then I called and seats 8 and 9 (Iceberg) called. Bud who was pretty shit-faced at this point and was raising every hand regardless of what he held, bumped it up to $75. Everyone called including my only lapse in discipline on the day, although at that table it was a strong possibility that A x suited would be the best hand against a raise and a re-raise. The flop then came. 10 10 10!!!! Jackpot! Finally time to cash in! Everyone laughed when they saw the flop but me, until I started to force a giggle out hoping that everyone was too sauced to observe that tell. Sarge and the guy to my right checked. I checked. Seat 8 did as well. Then Iceberg (I call him this because his boats ran into icebergs all day) expelled two black chips. It folded around to me and then I went into a 5 minute "think" trying to sell a low pocket pair. Meanwhile the whole table was openly kibbitzing about my hand. After moving all-in seat 8 folded and Iceberg got a sick look on his face knowing he had to throw away $240 to see my ten. He made the call immediately after Sarge mentioned my Ace high call down from the first hand and immediately mucked his pocket Kings. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good I reckon. This hand propelled me to $1350 after the tip. I then spent an hour and a half folding with an occasional "cheap flop" (Less than $40.) when I could get one.
Then came my last hand. I had pocket 10s and once again Sarge raised to $20. The guy in Seat 5 was playing very tight and called. I too after really thinking about it, decided to call; a decision that saved my ass for certain. Bud who had $900 in front of him at this point, then raised again to $75. Sarge called, and Seat 5 went all-in for $425 more. I then flashed my hand to seat 6 and said, "Anyone else here but him." and pretty quickly mucked my hand. Bud then called and Sarge bowed out. Bud showed his pocket jacks after the 9 9 3 flop, and after two more rags came out, I was stunned to see seat 5 muck his cards without showing.
At this point I conveniently reminded myself that I was going to dinner with my grandmother and slinked away from the table up $550 despite only winning one hand in four and a half hours. If you're willing to sit and wait there is alot of easy money on the Ohio River. (Harrah's Metropolis; Aztar Evansville, IN; and Caesar's New Albany, IN)

Vote to Ban Casino Boats Shocks Boat Owners

Source: News Channel 15 - http://www.wpde.com/

Vote to ban casino boats shocks boat owners
4/4/2007 6:43:10 PM
The owners of two Little River casino boats are still reeling, after Tuesday night's surprise vote by Horry County Council. At that meeting, council was discussing ways to tax the boats when, seemingly out of the blue, members suddenly voted to ban the boats entirely.

The council member who brought up the measure to ban the boats says he's really trying to save the casino boats. As you might expect, the casino boat operators don't exactly see it that way.

"We were shocked."

Sun Cruz Chairman Robert Weisberg says the boat operators have been negotiating with county council for two years on a method to tax boarding fees.

And, he says, just when the operators thought they had come up with a plan agreeable to everybody, an agreement Weisberg says makes "good business sense." Councilman Harold Worley moved to amend that proposal and ban the boats completely, and the amendment passed.

Weisberg says the vote felt like a slap in the face, one that would cost the county millions in economic impact."Hotel owners, the gas stations, the 7-11's, we have 260,000 tourists that come into this neighborhood. I don't know how they look themselves in the face and say, "We're going to throw this money out. We're going to get rid of this. Why us?"

"But Worley says he is not anti-casino boat. "In fact, I am probably more pro-casino boat than anybody on the council.

"Worley says he proposed banning the boats in order to save them. He says the state passed a law last year giving counties two options, ban the boats entirely or tax them by five percent of gross wagers and ten percent of boarding fees. Worley says the agreement between the boats and Council Chairman Liz Gilland was a separate deal, not within state law, and had it passed, would have shut the boats down.

"I've told them all along, I was not going along with anything other than following state law. Now, if you guys want to do that, the boats can stay in Little River.

"Worley says he's ready any time to amend his proposal to allow the boats to operate in Little River, under state law. Weisberg says, he now has to rethink whether he wants to remain in Little River at all.

Council will have to hold a public hearing on banning the boats. The final vote could come next month.

Judge Arrested in Poker Raid

SOURCE : WSBTV.COM (Thanks to Frank for bringing this one to us!)

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/11610818/detail.html

Judge Arrested In Poker Raid

POSTED: 5:50 am EDT April 11, 2007
UPDATED: 5:08 pm EDT April 11, 2007

JONESBORO, Ga. -- A magistrate judge was among the dozens of people arrested at an illegal casino, the second gambling bust in suburban Atlanta this week, authorities said Wednesday.

They also said one person was charged with trying to bribe Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill, and that powder cocaine, crack cocaine and ecstasy were found on the property.

In all, 52 people were rounded up Tuesday night at the Poker Palace in Jonesboro. All have been charged with misdemeanor gambling. Wayne Reinhardt, one of the owners, has also been charged with keeping a place of gambling and possession of gambling equipment, both felonies.

The sting came after a monthlong investigation by the Clayton County Sheriff's Office vice unit. Hill said the casino -- which had a sign out front saying Poker Palace and is literally down the street from the sheriff's office -- had been operating for about two years.

"Your question is my question," Hill responded when asked how the casino could operate so close to law enforcement. "That infuriates me."

Whether those arrested knew they were breaking the law is irrelevant, he said.

"Ignorance is no excuse under the law," Hill said. "You can't walk into a courtroom and say, 'I didn't know."'

Hill said players came to the Poker Palace and were admitted by recommendation or came with someone already familiar with the establishment. Inside, they could play poker or the slot machines.

He identified the arrested Clayton County magistrate judge as Dorian Murry. Murry's bond was set at $2,500 at a first appearance hearing on Wednesday, and he remained in the Clayton County Jail Wednesday afternoon, Clayton County Sheriff's Office Maj. Michael Maddox said.

Meanwhile, another man faces a bribery charge after Hill says he was offered up to $5,000.

Hill said that before the raid, the owner of the Poker Palace, Mike Adams, and an associate, Norman Earl, invited Hill to lunch to talk to him about the Poker Palace. According to Hill, Earl offered him an envelope he said contained $500, and later upped the bribe to $5,000.

Earl has been charged with bribery. Hill said the investigation continues concerning Adams, who was present when the offer was made.

The sheriff said he hoped the timing of their request, just before the bust, was not significant.
"Let's just hope it's a coincidence," he said.

The Clayton County raid came a day after Roswell police arrested 27 people Monday night in a gambling raid there. Players had to go online and register and then receive an invitation to the game, police said.

Hill said he has no reason to believe the two operations are related.

SunCruz Casino --- Little River, SC ---

Well, I ventured down to the coast the first week of April and planned to attend an event on the SunCruz Casino that sails from Little River South Carolina. It was actually quite nice and well run.

The ship sails twice daily but only has No Limit Hold'em Tournaments on Tuesday and Friday. In the poker room, the cash game of choice that plays at every sailing is $5/$10 Limit Hold'em. But our friend who posts his comments anonymously about how 'unfair' the 1/20 rake from the local poker rooms is would really be upset over the SunCruz rake..... $1/$10 up to a maximum of $5.... so any pot that hits $50, gets raked $5. That's twice what the local rooms rake. And you don't have to drive to the coast for it, but you may have to undergo that pesky cavity search..... At any rate, that's another story.

The tournament.... the Tuesday Tournament is a $220 buy-in which will get you 1500 in chips and for another $20 immediately at the start of the tournament, you can purchase an additional 500 chips. The house rake is $20 of the $220 and the entire additional $20 purchase goes to the dealer(s). Tony is the pit boss and a very nice guy who was very helpful and made certain that everything ran smoothly. The cruise leaves the dock right around 11:00am and it's about a 45 minute ride before any gambling action begins. There were approximately 18 people there for the tournament and major issue number one arises quickly. Rather than play two tables of 9, they start one table of 12 players and as someone busts out, they insert one of the six players that are waiting to play. I don't like it and neither did the other players at the table. There's so many issues with it, I wouldn't know where to begin. Tony said that because they didn't have many players sign up that he had let a dealer leave. There is a sign-up board just to the left of the entrance when you first board the boat for you to register for the tournament, but over half the people who were in the tournament didn't sign up there. At any rate, I really would like to see them modify that strategy. The other concern was about smoking.... I've been on a couple of these casino cruises in the past and in the gaming area, the smoke was pretty unbearable. I am happy to report that the day that I was there, there were very few smokers in the poker room. So they do permit smoking everywhere on the ship and it'll be hit or miss as to how many smokers are there on any given day.

The good news for me is that I knew where the poker room was on the ship and went straight to it once I got on board and paid to play and was put into the first 12 players and got a seat rather than having to wait for the first bust-out. They didn't race the button, they started it on position 1 at the table. Again, a little strange, but since I was in seat 11, I was OK with it. Blinds start at 25/50 and go up every 15 minutes. I missed a golden opportunity in the first hand. Because of where they started the button, I'm in late position and pick up pocket 2s. There are several limpers and decided to limp as well. The button raised the 25/50 blinds to 400! There are 3 callers and while I'm late to act, I am feeling that I must be behind and don't want to risk 25% of my stack in the first hand on deuces, so I fold. The first card off the deck..... a deuce! It checked to the big blind who bet another 400 and there were 2 callers. Had I played I would have raised and probably would have at least isolated the big blind or, even more likely, would have taken the pot right there. Instead, they check it the rest of the way and the big blind wins with AK, nut-no-pair. LOL.

I ended up going out on the bubble.... who would have thunk it! I did play in the $5/$10 Limit game between there and our return to US waters and was able to get most of my tournament entry fee back.

All-in-all, not bad.... I'll definitely do it again. You do need to be aware of the very short nature of the tournament in determining which hands to play and when -AND- when you do get a hand, you do need to be aggressive.

By the way, there is a boarding fee of $5 or $10, but if you do a little looking around you'll find there are some passes to be had in the local newspaper or in some of the discount coupon books found all over the coast. Also while you are waiting to reach the waters where play is permitted, go to the customer service desk and sign up for their Player's Club which will get you on FREE from now on and depending on which games you play while on board could earn you other freebies.

The cruise schedule is as follows:

DAY CRUISE
Monday - Friday
11:00 am to 4:15pm
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays
12:00 pm to 5:15pm

EVENING CRUISE
Sunday - Thursday
7:00 pm to 12:15 am
Friday & Saturday
7:00 pm to 1:15 am

For more information, sail to http://www.suncruzcasino.com/

One more tidbit of information for you.... the local government is in the process of holding public hearings over the next few weeks to determine if they are going to implement some sort of "boarding" tax -or- if they are going to stop the casino cruise ships all together. I'll do a little research and post some of the articles for you.

Poker Re-categorized as a "Sport" in Russia

Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal

From PokerNews

Poker Re-categorized as a 'Sport' in Russia

Russian poker players and fans are overjoyed with the news that poker is being accepted as a sport in that important nation. A recent decision by Russian Federation's 'Federal Agency of Physical Culture and Sports' has cleared the way for a new Russian poker boom. It's a long-awaited event for all gambling lovers: Poker tournaments have received the status of official sport competitions.

Dmitry Lesnoy, president of the Sport Federation of Russia, an organization created to promote poker's interests within Russia, testified on behalf of poker during the commission's hearings on the topic. Roughly translated, Lesnoy appealed that poker is an 'intellectual game' with widespread, mass-market interest. Lesnoy, an established Russian gaming writer, also organized a November 2006 conference of pro-gaming forces with representatives present from over 50 different Russian regions. This meeting of the 'Federation of Sports Poker' paved the way for the lobbying efforts supporting the game.

Lesnoy focused on the unique characteristics that define poker as a game of far more than luck: skills and tenacity, analytical constitution, and plenty of training. "It is so pleasant," commented Lesnoy, "that with the general background of persecution from the government towards gambling, the state still revealed wisdom and agreed with a factor, that poker can not belong to the category of gambling. It is a sport!"

Though not yet detailed in later reports, the Russian agency's decision is expected to exempt poker from the provisions of the four 'gambling zones' being created across Russia. Lesnoy hopes that his own federation will fill a strong supporting role in the growth of Russian poker. The organization's goals include the propagation and popularization of poker, the creation of ethical norms and standards, organization of poker tournaments by the sports principles, creating official player ratings, organizing poker schools and growing young talents, and searching for sponsors.

What Happened to the good posts?

This blog used to have some hilarious posts, now it just seems everything is cut and paste from a news article. Let's hear about some hands or the night when the deck hit you in the head and you could not lose (that would be me from last Tuesday night at Daves). I took down Daves monster stack the way he takes down Porn Stars. In other words quick and painless.

PPA Schedules Poker Webcast With Senator Alfonse D'Amato

As the fight for poker continues, the PPA grows stronger by the day. In the past two months, PPA membership has more than doubled to nearly 320,000 members! This exciting growth is pushing us closer to our 1 million member goal.


As most of you know, it was recently announced that three-term U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato has joined the PPA to serve as the Chairman of the Board. His decades of public service and deep understanding of the political process will be instrumental in our efforts to ensure that you can continue to enjoy the game of poker in the venue of your choosing.


The PPA is providing a unique chance for you to hear from the Senator and ask him questions about the future of poker. On Thursday, April 12th at 3pm EST the PPA will host an interactive Webcast. The Senator will give you an update of the federal government issues facing poker today and what the PPA is doing to fight for your rights. You have the opportunity to send e-mail questions before and during the Webcast which the Senator will answer live.


Participation is easy and I encourage everyone to be part of this exciting discussion.

For more information or to register, visit www.pokerplayersalliance.org/

Texas Poker Bill Debated

Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal

Texas Poker Bill Debated

By KAREN BROOKS / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – Poker fans who want to play Texas hold 'em in the Lone Star State may not be looking at the best hand, but they're going all in.

A bill in the House would let the state regulate poker rooms so people could play for cash. Some of the money from the rooms would go to affordable housing programs.

"You can take a two and beat a hand with an ace in it if you know what you're doing," said Chris Jones, a Houston police officer for 28 years. "The best hand doesn't always win."

The officer's testimony in a House hearing last week was more about the game, which has reached icon status in its popularity, than about the movement to legalize public poker rooms in Texas.

But it's a perfect metaphor for the showdown that poker aficionados across the state and the nation are facing as they try to pass a bill in the state identified with the most popular poker game in the world.

Religious conservatives and gambling opponents are opposed to any change that would allow more betting.

"I think Texas hold 'em makes a nice title to a song, but I don't think it's something we need in Texas," said Cathie Adams, president of the Texas Eagle Forum, a socially conservative group that opposes the measure. "I don't think we need to expand gambling."

Rep. Kino Flores, D-Plainview, chairman of the House Licensing and Administrative Committee, has played his cards close to the vest, telling some he was unwilling to pass the bill – presumably because he doesn't want competition for his own bill legalizing slot machines – but played nice with poker supporters.

"Before you all leave," he joked with the 60-plus poker supporters at his committee hearing last week, "there's a bunch of you here – would ya'll mind filling out another witness affirmation card in favor of the VLTs?" in reference to video lottery terminals.

A bill by Rep. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, would let the state regulate poker rooms so that people could play competitively and for cash. Some of the money would go to affordable housing programs, particularly for seniors and veterans. Games designed as fundraisers for charities would be assessed a smaller portion of their rake from tournaments.

No sexually oriented businesses would be allowed to have poker rooms, and Mr. Menendez said he would be willing to add an additional stipulation that no free alcohol be served to players.

The raucous House committee hearing last week included some of poker's heavyweights, including Poker Hall of Famers, the founder of the World Poker Tour and several of its stars.

It's estimated that about 2 million Texans play poker regularly in their homes or with friends – which is legal – or in illegal poker rooms, including the estimated 250 underground poker rooms in Dallas alone.

Clonie Gowen, a Dallas mother of two, plays professionally out of state with the high-profile Full Tilt poker team. She says the game honed her math skills at an early age. She brought home $500,000 last year and testified that she would rather not have to leave the state to support her family.

Erick Lindgren of Las Vegas, her teammate and one of the most recognized players of the World Poker Tour, touted the life skills that can be learned from the game, including social skills and patience. And money management, too – at age 30, the former basketball player pulls in $1 million a year playing professionally.

Texas poker fan Rock Howard said the game has probably even lengthened his life.

"You have to learn how to control your anger because poker will frustrate you," and angry players lose money, he said. "I lost my road rage and stopped being angry at hundreds of other situations in my life. So poker has probably extended my life several years for reducing stress."

Mr. Jones testified on his own and not on behalf of police organizations, but he indicated that opposition there was probably minimal, too.

"I would submit that there's a lot of policemen playing poker out there," he said.

Homer Simpson ** Slow-Rolling 101

The Nuts - WSOP Truly International!

Cherokee Tribe Poker Update

Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal

by Matt Giegerich
Special to Triangle Poker Journal
April 8, 2007

The Eastern Band Of Cherokee Indians have been trying for years to add live table games at the Harrah’s Casino on their reservation. The addition of table games would include: live poker, black jack, craps and roulette.

These games would create approximately 450 jobs and increase the casino payroll by $15.2 million. In addition, the Cherokees argue that table games are necessary to attract competitive business. The local economy would also benefit from the influx of patronage to the Casino.

However, there have been difficulties in the negotiations between the tribe and the Governor’s Office.

The history of this struggle is wrought with political and logistical disputes. Following is a brief explanation:

According to the law, live games are not allowed at any casino in North Carolina. The tribe’s gaming compact was signed in 2000. It complies with this law. It cannot be amended unless directly done so by Governor Easley and Chief Hicks of the Eastern band.

The Cherokees contacted the Governor in 2005 with their request for table games.

After one year, in January 2006, a proposal to allow live poker had been tentatively agreed to by both parties.

However, by spring of 2006 the takes had deteriorated. Easley reportedly withdrew from previous agreements. The governor indicated in interviews that he would have been more likely to complete negotiations if some Cherokee gambling proceeds were to benefit the state. He suggested that up to 10% of the profits be used to bolster State Mental Health Funds.

The Cherokees rejected the Easley’s proposal. Instead, they proposed that they use profits to enrich the areas surrounding the Casino. However, the governor rejected this, and talks have lain dormant for nearly a whole year.
Chief Hicks expressed his dissatisfaction with the collapse. On April 19, 2006 Hicks stated that “The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is outraged that Gov. Easley has decided to terminate negotiations on an amended Tribal-State Compact.” Neither party agreed to comment to TPJ on the development of negotiations. It is unlikely these negotiations have been revisited since last spring.

Chief Hicks has expressed that he does not think legislation will be changed under this Governor. Further, after the unpleasant collapse of last year’s negotiations, it is unlikely that either leader is eager to work with the other.

Although Harrah’s Cherokee Casino is a short three-hour drive from Triangle Park not many local poker players have visited. Nor will they be likely to make the trip any time in the near future. Tumultuous negotiations have resulted in a staring contest between Hicks and Easley that does not appear to be ending soon.

The Poker Player's Daughter: Ethier on Ethier

Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal

By Vanessa Ethier
Special Correspondent

Have you ever been sitting there on the computer bored and curious, wondering if you were on the internet? So you pull up Google and you type in your name hit enter and all you see is someone with your name that is 40 years older and lives on the other side of the country that wrote a paper on genetic cell research. So you try your friends, your husband, and heck why not your parents. Wait a second! It’s a hit, or rather 171,000 hits on my dad, Denis Ethier, of Durham.

Sometimes as a college kid you become so absorbed in your books. As an accounting major I was more focused at times on making sure everything balanced that I guess I didn’t know the extent to which my father was enjoying the life of a professional poker player. We talked a lot. But the conversation was usually about how school and work was coming along. He told me that he was traveling all over playing poker but never talked about to the extent to which he was having success.

So the neat part comes when you are the center of conversation. One day at work, one of my coworkers was online on YahooSports choosing players for a fantasy poker league. I took a look at some of the choices and saw Denis Ethier, so I picked him.

My husband and I spent some considerable time in Las Vegas this summer. We were fortunate enough to spend a lot of that time with my father. We got to watch him play in the World Series of Poker. It puts a totally different perspective on things when you attend one of these events live. Television did great things for poker, but it does not do justice for how grinding a tournament can be. Imagine working 70 hours a week and not being able to make any mistakes. One bad calculation and you lose your job. That is the pressure that I felt in the poker room at the Rio in July. Seeing it in person, poker truly was a job.

So I am a CPA and my father is a professional poker player. Not too much in common. That’s what I felt, but now that I have really seen him in his craft I no longer feel the same way. Through analyzing statistics, balancing, making adjustments, and having a good feel for your business environment one would be a good accountant, but they would also be a good poker player too. And discipline is key in both fields too. What I learned in watching my father is that we are alike and my strength in numbers came from him. He learned by doing and I learned in the classroom.

So next time you are watching a poker tournament look for Denis Ethier - the man with the America’s Card Room Hat as he proudly shows off his sponsor http://www.americascardroom.com/. He will have a serious look on his face, just look you and I do when we’re at work.

I’ll be rooting for him, and typing his name into Google whenever I get a chance to see how well he is doing in the big tournament!


Vanessa Ethier lives and works in Arizona. A poker player herself, she runs a comment board at LaunchPoker: http://www.launchpoker.com/forum/u-vanessa-ethier-768.html.

Oh, no! It's RAID!

From the Fayetteville Observer, Published on Saturday, April 07, 2007

Oh, no! It’s RAID!
By Gene Smith

I used to play poker, a game of skill, math, money management, psychology and luck. A couple of Fayetteville businessmen I know could clean my clock at poker, and one regularly did. My theory is that he sold his soul to the devil at The Crossroads circa 1971, when he was living in a mobile home park near Erwin. But I won’t name names because they may still have suckers to fleece, and it would be wrong to interfere with the shearing.

It’s all illegal, of course. You can read about it right there in the General Statutes. But this isn’t about law. It’s about law enforcement, and it begins with a question: Should the U.S. Department of Defense throw its great bulk into local law enforcement operations meant to bring people to justice for civil misdemeanors that might net them a fine and, maybe, 60 days in jail?

That’s what happened with the big gambling bust in Cary on March 23. And after running down a few details, I’m left wondering how many law enforcement agencies were NOT casually called in — no, not just “the feds”; the National Guard, acting under a federal law tightly focused on weapons of mass destruction and Hazmat situations.

Maybe you already know all about the National Guard Rapid Assessment and Initial Detection program. I didn’t. So, after breaking my nails on a few bureaucratic walls (Cary PD, governor’s office, Crime Control and Public Safety, Alcohol Law Enforcement), I Googled it and quickly discovered that it’s all over the place — spotting marijuana from the air, interacting with kids at school, routine law enforcement stuff. Problem is, it’s not a law enforcement agency. It’s the military.

OK, you can pop the snap, but keep that posse comitatus argument holstered for a second. Our state does in fact give the Guard a law enforcement role, and I’m sure they’ll invoke it here. But unless you rip the words out of context, that role involves natural disasters, riots and insurrections. You know: the kinds of things for which governors have traditionally called out the National Guard. So try again: Should the military be involved in routine (which is not to “penny-ante”) local law enforcement operations?

Big-stakes poker could be used to launder money for terrorists, so I’m sure they’ll test that rationale, too. But the total take from more than three dozen people nabbed in the raid (four of them from our region) was about $20,000. I’ve seen that much change hands on one card aboard a cruise ship, where gambling really is gambling and poker really isn’t poker. And the only person looking at a stiffer charge than gambling was said to be the guy who leased the building and owned the six tables and the booze, along with whoever owned that disappointingly small quantity of marijuana. So let’s try it one more time: Should the National Guard, operating under a federal grant of authority to deal with terrorists wielding bombs and poisons, be helping the Cary PD contend with native-son misdemeanants wielding Aces and Jacks?

Ah, but they could have been armed! Ah, but they weren’t! They were there to play cards, not to foment rebellion. Now, what was it about this operation that demanded backup not only from the state Bureau of Alcohol Law Enforcement and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, but also from the U.S. military? Ahem: What did the warrants say?

It’s only a guess, but I’d say Cary called for National Guard RAID simply because it’s available and it’s willing. Which leaves me wondering what other minutiae, personal vices and petty crimes are occupying its time, and where they’re occupying it. Coulda sworn somebody told me there’s a war on.

Until we get this sorted out, better not jaywalk. There could be a military helicopter overhead.

Push to Legalize Poker in Texas

Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal

Push to Legalize Poker in Texas

Last Update: Apr 3, 2007 7:12 AM

Poker players who now attend illegally organized card games would get to take part in legal, licensed Texas Hold 'Em wagering across the state under a proposal the Legislature is considering.

The bill by Rep. Jose Menendez, a San Antonio Democrat, would allow live or electronic poker gambling at certain establishments as well as charitable poker for qualified groups.

Poker enthusiasts, including some leading national players, are expected at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday for a hearing on the proposal before the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee.

If enacted into law, the measure would put Texas alongside several other states such as California and Montana that created a safe, regulated environment for poker wagering, said Michael Bolcerek, president of the National Poker Players Alliance.

The Texas proposal calls for allowing the card game Texas Hold 'Em, which Bolcerek describes as "the granddaddy of poker." Its rules provide several opportunities for players to bet and bluff their opponents.

"It's one of the most difficult games to play and requires a consummate amount of skill," said Bolcerek, whose alliance has more than 20,000 members in Texas.

That necessary skill makes poker more a "sport" and sets it apart from other gambling games that rely mostly or solely on chance, according to Bolcerek and other supporters of the bill. The bill states that poker is not a lottery game prohibited under the Texas Constitution.

Existing Texas law allows gambling on a card game if it is done in a private place, such as a home; if no one received economic benefit from the game other than personal winnings; and if the risk of winning or losing is the same for all participants, according to the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.

Poker enthusiasts say businesses illegally organize games now, and all types of people are playing, from grandmothers to lawyers.

Opponents of Menendez's bill so far haven't been vocal.

"I don't understand why anybody would oppose creating legal, regulated gaming that provides revenue for all Texans," Bolcerek said.

Under the proposed legislation, the Texas Lottery Commission would rule on where poker tables would be allowed, such as bars or race tracks. The state and the business establishment would get a cut of the action.

There has been no fiscal analysis of the bill yet by legislative researchers.

Establishments with liquor licenses would be prime spots for poker wagering because those businesses will have gone through the vetting process required for alcohol sales, said Mike Lavigne, treasurer of the Texas Poker Coalition, a political action committee.

Sexually oriented businesses would not be allowed to host games under an updated version of the bill expected to be introduced, Lavigne said. Penalties for illegal games would be toughened, he said.

The proposal does not address Internet poker playing, which Lavigne calls a federal issue.

The Texas Gaming Association, a group of major casino industry officials pushing for destination resort casinos in the state, isn't taking a position on the poker proposal. Poker games and casino gambling are separate issues, said association lobbyist Chris Shields.

Lavigne said he expects there may be some opposition from conservatives who have opposed gambling expansion in Texas.

But, he said, poker is more pervasive in society than casino games like slot machines, and poker players are competing with each other, not the "house," the business hosting the game.

Another bill before the House committee by Rep. Norma Chavez, D-El Paso, would legalize charitable "poker runs" by motorcycle clubs and other groups.

A poker run is when paying participants ride motorcycles to certain sites along a prescribed course to collect a playing card. Those with winning poker hands may receive cash or other prizes.

Attorney General Greg Abbott ruled in 2005 that such events violated state law because they promoted gambling. Chavez's bill would change that provision and allow poker runs by charities.

The poker legalization bill is HB 3186.

Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal

Raleigh Brothel Used Poker Chips as Tokens

What's next....????

http://www.newsobserver.com/928/story/560568.html

High Stakes Poker Renewed for Fourth Season

With only one more new episode left to air next Monday for Season 3 of High Stakes Poker the GSN has announed that HSP will return for a fourth season. Filming is set to begin in May at the Southpoint Hotel, Casino, and Spa in Las Vegas. This is very good news. We will get to see more episodes of the best poker show on TV. It seemed highly likely that HSP was going to return but we can't take anything for granted. With the surge in popularity of poker over the past few years we have seen a plenthora of new poker shows. Some of much better quality than others. With the passage of the UIGEA last fall alot of these programs are going to have trouble sticking around. As online poker sites exit the U.S. market they take take with them a lot of advertising dollars. Some sites remaining in the U.S. have even pulled their advertising or greatly reduced it. Bodog which remains open to U.S. players has pulled all of their print and media advertising from U.S. outlets to focus on developing their brand for the international market. The exit of this advertising money will likely result in some of the lower quality poker programming either being cancelled or not renewed. The Travel Channel and the WPT are in talks right now that will determine if they continue to air new episodes of the WPT after their current contract expires in 2008. With the current climate in the U.S. who knows what we can expect by 2009. That is something the Travel Channel is probably very concerned with. Hopefully we will continue to see new episodes of High Stakes Poker, Poker After Dark, and the World Poker Tour for a long time to come.

The Skill vs. Chance Arguement in Poker

Serious poker players like to consider poker a game of skill and not chance. So when incidents like the bust in Cary happen we are naturally perturbed by the shortsightedness of non poker players and our often times antiquated laws pertaining to gambling. We accept at face value that poker is a game of skill. We can't just make that statement though without exploring it more thoroughly and actually educating people about poker and how it is similar to and different from other forms of gambling.

I love talking to non poker players about poker but I oft times get the feeling that they don't see much difference in poker and other games of chance in much the same way that many believe that playing online poker is illegal. We can't just say that poker is a game of skill or predominantly one of skill. Where do we draw the line in the amount of skill required? We all know that there is no skill involved in playing slots but what about video poker, blackjack, or even heaven forbid sports betting. Skillful decisions can be made in video poker, blackjack, and sports betting and there are individuals though admittedly a small number who can make a living in one or more of these forms of gambling. Any one here think sports betting will be legalized as a game of skill? I wouldn't hold my breath.

While poker and these other forms of gambling all share an element of skill there are differences. I won't even tackle sports betting but in video poker and blackjack there is almost always a mathematically correct way given the information available of playing a hand to maximize your win rate. With video poker one first has to start by selecting the right game to play based on the pay table. There are video poker games that when played with the optimal strategy are positive expectation games that will return 100% of the money cycled through them. One will not find any of those games such as full pay Deuces Wild or 10/7 Double Bonus though in North Carolina. When the small edge a player can attain is coupled with rewards they can earn for their play such as cash back and comps they can be profitable games and a very smart way to gamble. The same with blackjack. The rules of blackjack vary widely. One can find single deck to eight deck games, games where a blackjack pays 3-2 or 6-5 (the 6-5 single deck games appear attractive but in fact have the highest house advantage and are the worst blackjack games available), etc. A card counter can pick the correct game to play in and by utilizing card counting, basic strategy, and varying his wagers can turn a negative expectation game into a positive one. So where am I going with this? While poker, blackjack, and video poker can all be beaten and all contain an element of skill poker players unlike blackjack and video poker players do not have an obvious mathematically correct way of playing a hand most of the time. Poker players are often faced with incomplete information and have to take into account a number of factors when deciding the best way to play a hand. The more skillful the decisions they make though the more profitable their results should be in the long term.

How one looks at long term versus short term results is a whole other area to look at when considering the amount of chance versus skill involved in poker. Most poker players would agree that in the long term the results of a skilled poker player will reflect their edge in skill over their opponents. What constitutes a long term or short term though? What I am trying to say is there are a lot of factors involved in the chance vs. skill argument. We have to explore them all and be honest with ourselves and others when trying to differentiate poker from other forms of gambling. In order to do this we need to understand and be able to convincingly explain why skill is so important in poker and how skilled players can maximize their wins and reduce their losses by making skillful decisions and thus reducing the element of chance.

In a couple of recent posts at the poker forum twoplustwo.com the poker author and theorist David Sklansky makes several statements which I like concerning the predominance of skill in poker. Here is one of them:

"Only in games of skill can a player guarantee that he will quickly lose. If for some strange reason he wanted to...You can't guarantee that you will lose in slot machines or keno or roulette or craps just by playing badly.(I'm not counting the artificial plays of betting red and black or pass and don't pass at the same time. Nor am I talking about folding every hand in poker. I'm talking about playing very badly.) Only in games of skill, does horrible play mean a quick demise. (Although there are exceptions such as sports betting). Thus while you can't show a jury that expert play quickly results in a win, you can show them that in poker the opposite type of play quickly results in a loss. Which should be sufficient evidence to prove that skill is a major part of the game."

In another post he states:

"The majority of the major decisions during a poker hand, (the decision whether to play at all being normally trivial) are not obvious, a matter of skill, and result in large differences in expected value, with the most skillful decisions having the highest value. I phrased it this way because it is apparently important to show that results rely more than 50% on skill, rather than luck. Whatever that means. I added the "not obvious" part to distinguish it from games like blackjack where the "skillful" plays are indeed obvious way more than half the time. I didn't consider the first round folds in poker because they are usually so routine and involve so little money that it wouldn't be fair to."


I like these statements and agree with them. Hopefully one day so will a judge. We have to keep fighting. Even though we are faced with many negative developments there are positive ones. Antigua continues to try to combat with some success through the World Trade Organization the US government's stance on online gaming. The former New York Senator turned lobbyist Alfonse D'Amato becoming the new Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance will hopefully help advance our interests. It appears that US Congressman Barney Frank, who is now chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, supports legislation to repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. There are representatives in several state legislatures who support updating their gambling laws in ways that would be more favorable to poker. Hopefully in the near future the positive developments will begin to outweigh the negative ones. All of us can play a part by joining organizations like the PPA, calling or writing our representatives, and educating those we know who are now either uniformed or misinformed about poker.

The Poker Brat

Here's an interesting recent post from the blog of the poker brat Phil Hellmuth and a humorous parody that Daniel Negreanu posted on his blog.

Phil - http://www.philhellmuth.com/phil-hellmuth-poker-blog.html?id=1758

Daniel - http://www.fullcontactpoker.com/poker-journal.php?subaction=showfull&id=1175444378&archive=&start_from=&ucat

The BLOG!

Over the past couple of months and especially since we have become part of the Triangle Poker Journal, the number of hits on this blog site has increased by an enormous rate. We have also seen an increase in the number of "anonymous" comments on some of the posts. I am very excited about that, however the entire point of this blog is for us to entertain and learn from each other. Not that a few write, but that the group participate.

I am heading to the coast for a week's vacation.... I don't know if I'll find any poker games near Myrtle or not but I will be online some and am hoping that many of you who have begun reading regularly will start to contribute. I do plan on participating in the $220 poker tournament on the SunCruz Casino ship out of Little River and I'll be writing a review of it some time this next week.

The site is set up so that you must be INVITED to contribute a NEW POST. I want YOU to post! All you have to do is send an email to me at ncpokerblog@gmail.com and I'll send you the invitation and then just log in and share your thoughts on significant hands and poker news in general or anything about poker in the triangle. I will be putting together a guide to poker blog etiquette over the next week or so and you'll see it appear shortly. In the meantime, don't mention any specific games by location or be lewd, crude or socially unacceptable and post away!

I am hoping that you start today! Send the email to me now and I'll send you the invitation!

Cary Bust Makes the News - Edited 03/30/07

The law enforcement raid that took place last week in Cary has finally made the local news.... online and TV coverage. (I'll be moving this post forward every day for a week or two so that you'll be able to follow the additional links with little effort).

Here's the link from WRAL (this is the original link but it takes you to LOCAL - you'll need to search on "Cary Gambling" to find the article).

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1248484/

Here's the link from the Raleigh News & Observer - posted 03/26/07

http://www.newsobserver.com/141/story/557728.html

an edited version from the N&O including names..... posted 03/26/07

http://www.newsobserver.com/712/story/557834.html

Here's the link from WRAZ (including video) - posted 03/27/07
(this is the original link, but it takes you to LOCAL - you'll need to search on "Cary Gambling" to find the article).

http://www.fox50.com/news/local

Here's the link from ABC 11 Eyewitness News. Now they are attempting to justify the excessive resources used to bust up the harmless poker game - posted 03/27/07

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=triangle&id=5156894

Here's the link from the Raleigh Chronicle Newspaper - posted 03/28/07

http://www.raleighchronicle.com/2007032700.html

Here's the most recent link from WRAL (including video) - posted 03/29/07

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1249961/

Here's the article from the Raleigh News & Observer article that made front page news Thursday, March 29, 2007!

http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/558678.html

An actual original article from PokerNews.com (Thanks to Brian V)

http://www.pokernews.com/news/2007/3/north-carolina-raid-nabs.htm

Looks like a reprint of WRAL material from PokerGazette.com (Thanks to Brian V)

http://www.pokergazette.com/simpnews/news.php?category=1

Enjoy!