members-only articles
A lot has been written over the last two weeks about anything and everything having to do with online poker’s Black Friday. Most of the talk, other than screaming to the heavens about the U.S. Government, has been about what players in the United States are going to do. Basically, is online poker dead in… Read more »
A poker player acquaintance of mine recently told me that he was thinking about turning to poker as a full-time career. My first reaction, right or wrong, was to think, “Oh, great, another one,” but this was a guy with a good head on his shoulders, so I realized it wasn’t just a spur of… Read more »
One post on TwoPlusTwo that stood out this week was someone asking if his fellow micro-stakes players strictly followed the Baluga Theorem. If you haven’t heard of the theorem, it was introduced by a player named Andrew “BalugaWhale” Seidman on the TwoPlusTwo forum almost five years ago. It’s a fairly simple concept that says when… Read more »
I first started playing poker on a whim. Like many, I saw the World Series of Poker on television, thought it was interesting, and decided to see what I could find out about the game. After an internet search, I found an online poker room, something I had never heard of before, and joined the… Read more »
The inaugural Nevada State Ladies Poker Championship at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, Nevada recently concluded and I must say it exceeded my expectations in every way. How did this event come about? About a year ago, LIPS founder Lupe Soto, Jan Fisher, and I began discussing the need for a lavish ladies… Read more »
I was perusing the various poker message boards this week and saw a topic I found intriguing. A new player asked the following question: “Honestly: is it wrong to play without Holdem Manager or PokerTracker?” Both are fantastic tools. They help you get reads on your opponents during the game, plug leaks in between sessions,… Read more »
It is hard to believe that this weekend marks the seventh running of NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship (NHUPC). To me, it still seems like a nascent event, but one piece of evidence of its maturity is that instead of talking about how cool and great the NHUPC is, poker players and fans now tend… Read more »
During a recent session, a couple of situations presented themselves that struck me as intriguing, not because they were unusual, but because they were fundamentally alike and yet extremely different. The two situations came up in tournaments I was playing. In the first, we were in the mid-stages of a sit and go and I… Read more »
I caught a clip of the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event the other day and saw eventual champion Greg Raymer jotting down notes about the hands he played. I remember thinking to myself when the show was originally aired that note taking was a great idea. Fast-forward to 2011 and note taking is… Read more »
2010 ended with a thud for online poker players in the United States. There was a great deal of anticipation over Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s attempt to push an online poker bill through before Congress adjourned for the year, but to the dismay of many, nothing ever came of it. To others, the bill… Read more »
I love books. Well, I guess better said, I love reading. I'm actually not looking forward to ubiquitous WiFi on airplanes. They're kind of the last Internet-free zone in the world. And even this retreat is disappearing as carrier after carrier puts WiFi on its planes. It's like the Berlin Wall in 1989 – pretty soon, nothing will be left. Read more »
I have a four-year-old boy and he has a lot of Legos. They really are the perfect toy and it’s something we enjoy doing together. When we’re done for the day, I’m happy if I can just get him to gather them all up into a single bin, but I’ll often spend a little extra… Read more »
The 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table was one of the most exciting installments in the past several years. Due to the lengthy final table bubble back in July, the action was fast and furious with numerous all-ins, setting up several dramatic hands. With only two players sitting above the chip… Read more »
Poker can be a lonely game. Unlike, for instance, softball, there’s nothing that requires you to get together with other people of a like mind or intent. You go down to the casino or card club, play poker, and then leave. Too often, when a poker room “acquaintance” approaches you, it’s for one of three… Read more »
It’s an exciting time on the World Poker Tour this season. We are currently in our ninth season, meaning we’ve done more TV shows than legendary franchises like “Seinfield” and “I Love Lucy.” Just look at the history of television and you will discover that a very small percentage of TV shows last nine years. … Read more »
The 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event has finally ended and now comes the hangover, when every armchair poker player says why the World Champ is terrible. This year, that talk revolves around one huge hand, the one on Day 8 back in July when the eventual winner, Jonathan Duhamel, sucked out on… Read more »
The other night, I found myself drifting over to my local casino. Roughly a year and a half ago, the riverboat casino decided to open up a poker room and, although it only has five tables, is quite active during its hours of operation. This night was no different, as it took about an hour… Read more »
A few months ago, I came across a peculiar post in an online poker forum. At first, it looked like your typical “ZOMG poker is so rigged” rant, but something about this one jumped out at me; take a look and see if you can spot it. By the way, I’ve heavily edited it for… Read more »
Poker News Daily: The CEREUS Network was recently acquired by Blanca Games, which is managed by Stuart Gordon. What were your thoughts when you heard about the transaction? Annie Duke: It’s a very positive thing for the brand. The cheating was purportedly under the auspices of Excapsa in terms of software development and the person… Read more »
I’m afraid of the ocean. I love to swim; in fact, I was a pool lifeguard for years and still swim laps three times a week, but the ocean freaks me out. I tell people it’s because it’s dirty, crowded, and polluted, but if I’m being honest, there’s one other reason why I resist going… Read more »
Poker News Daily asked me for my thoughts about the ten finalists for this year’s Poker Hall of Fame. This caused me some angst as I decided what criteria I should use in giving my input. I mean, let’s consider the Baseball Hall of Fame. Back in my youth, I lived and breathed baseball, so… Read more »
Venturing into online poker for the first time can be intimidating. Even though you don’t need to leave the house, take a shower, brush your teeth, or wear a complete ensemble, it can still be a blur of numbers, colors, and sound. Not unlike a real casino, I suppose. But after the initial step of… Read more »
She’s good from far, but is she far from good? –Anonymous One of my college roommates introduced me to that goofy little line about 15 years ago or so. It refers to how a member of the fairer sex can appear to be the catch of the century when you spot her all the way… Read more »
I’ve been traveling constantly for the past six weeks. First, I went on an exploratory two-week cruise on the biggest ship in the world. Next, I hosted a week-long poker tournament at the Eureka Casino in Mesquite, Nevada. After stopping home overnight to watch some TIVO and do laundry, I flew to Indianapolis for one… Read more »
Poker News Daily: What have you been up to poker-wise since the conclusion of the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP)? Annie Duke: Trying to slack off. My goal has to been to shirk all responsibility and I’ve been doing a pretty good job of that. The WSOP is a lot. It’s six weeks of… Read more »
