WSOP Continued…

• Author: Ed
• Filed under: Tournaments
• Date: Jun 19,2008

Right now we’re almost halfway through the World Series of Poker, and rightfully so, half of the golden bracelets have been given away. Just out of general interest today, I checked the ticker on the website to find out that there has been a grand total of $65,806.684 prize money already.

The World Series is a tournament for legends. Many come but few are successful. I’ve been an online poker player for a long time, and it’s helped me develop a strong game and I’m almost dare i say – semi professional. But to take my games to the next level, I need to think about Vegas, or as I call it, the city of Gold…

So – what exactly are WSOP gold bracelets? Each year, there are a total of 54 bracelets made, and they are made from solid 18-carat gold. Crafted by the exclusive international watchmaker Corum, the bracelets are painstakingly produced in yellow gold for the regular events, and precious white gold is used for the main event. They are also finely decorated with diamonds, garnets and other precious stones and every stone is hand-set into the bracelets. With each one featuring approximately 53 diamonds, which represent the number of events in the WSOP, which bring the grand total of gems used in each bracelet to a staggering 3,000 (give or take a few hundred).

We have seen a couple of bracelets over the years, and the new ones are strikingly distinct. However we think now the old ones are very precious and one cannot even put a price on such a valuable artifact.

Online poker has its place, and so does offline poker but I would like to compete in the WSOP for a coveted gold bracelet. This is truly one prestige item that shows your worth in the poker industry.

Maybe one day……

WSOP 2008

• Author: Ed
• Filed under: Tournaments
• Date: Jun 17,2008

Today there’s a little to be learned about the World Series of Poker. right now its making its show on ESPN, and we thought that you might like to know a little about the popular gambling event. It’s not an online based tournament, but to develop a firm and solid play style it is important to analyse all forms of play to make your game stronger. Because of this we like to take a look at all the events happening in poker, not just online poker and we aim to write about interesting things. So to start off – we’re going to do a little informative piece about what the WSOP really is and how they were formed.

The World Series of Poker started a long time ago, back in 1970 when Las Vegas was a small and innocent city. Back then there were maybe 70 poker tables in the whole state, never mind city of Las Vegas! Back then in a stuffy hotel room is where it all began. Back then it was run by a few casino owners who soon became legends – Benny Binion, Tom Moore and Vic Vickrey.

What a memorable way to start the World Series. This first championship featured maybe 30 people. Some names included Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder, Rudy “Minnesota Fats” Wanderone as well as Benny Binion.

This was actually just meant to be an ‘annual’ get together, but as fate may have it, Binion decided that this was an opportunity not to miss. So he set out on his own to market the ‘get-together’ into the World Series of Poker.

It’s quite ironic that what seemed like an annual get together would turn into the World Series of Poker! Had it not been for a few small-time pros (Tom Moore and Vic Vickrey) there mightn’t have ever been a World Series! So next time you are watching ESPN and your favourite sport (Poker) Pay a little tribute to the small time guys who invented the big-time competition.

Online Poker Basics

• Author: admin
• Filed under: General
• Date: Jun 17,2008

Poker played over the Internet is referred to as online poker. Its popularity has experienced such a tremendous growth that revenues from online poker are said to have reached $ 200 million a month in recent years.

Online poker tables typically spread Omaha, Texas hold’em, Seven Card Stud, and so forth. Games can be played in tournament structure or as ring games. A poker tournament is typically played with chips which are worthless if used outside the tournament, whereas “real” money is used in ring games played at online poker. Ring games and tournament games also differ in that throughout the tournament players have to stick to one predetermined style of poker, as opposed to ring games, where the types of card games available may vary.

The online poker game is recommended for beginners only as far as the ring games are concerned. Tournaments are for more experienced players, and they don’t offer the possibility of cashing out at any time, as it is with ring games. Cashing out in tournaments is only possible after the player has won or lost all the chips. Moreover, most online poker rooms charge a tournament entry fee. In fact, this is one of the three major ways in which online poker rooms profit. The other two are represented by the rake and by playing against the house for real money, when the profit comes from the fact that the odds are clearly in favor of the house.

When it comes to money, players may be referred to in terms of play money players and real money players. The former are generally uninitiated in online poker and it is highly recommended that they sign up as beginners in order to get some idea about the online poker game. As far as playing for real money goes, players must understand one very important aspect, which is that online poker deprives them of a notable advantage that they would normally have when playing poker traditionally.

As you might have guessed, this advantage is represented by the physical reactions of opponents which offer valuable clues in a real-world poker game. In the absence of such indicators, online poker players have to concentrate on the betting patterns of their opponents or on their reaction time, in order to try and figure out their next moves. Even so, it takes time before a pattern can be established. What’s for sure is that online poker players must be able to adapt easily to the new surroundings that poker rooms bring about if they want to be successful. The lack of clues, which players normally have in traditional poker, rules out the possibility of spotting bluffs almost entirely. Not even experienced online poker players can tell when someone is bluffing, which is why you should be careful when trying to spot your opponent’s bluffs. There is good news for the less experienced online poker players.

There are many web sites out there where you will find all the information you need about poker rules, poker rooms, useful tips and strategies, in other words all you need to know about the online poker game in theory, before you learn it through practice.