One of the biggest differences you will find when playing an online Texas Holdem poker tournament versus a regular ring game is “busting” people - deciding to put them all in. While this may happen by chance in a ring game – after all, not everyone is as good a player as you – in a tournament, it is a given. But, the concept of “busting” poker players out of the tournament is often elusive to some people, simply because when given the opportunity, they are also usually given a weak hand. Let’s say you are playing five or six handed midway through an online Texas Holdem tournament at an online poker site. You have a pretty comfortable lead over one player in particular; say a 5-1 chip lead (his $400 to your $2,000). He has called the big blind ($100) and it’s now up to you with no other callers. You have been dealt an unsuited Q-10. You can now fold, call, or raise. This illustration shows one of the biggest differences between ring games and online Texas Holdem tournaments. You have a very good opportunity to bust a player right out of the tournament, and thereby put yourself one step closer to first place. If you win, not only do you win his chips, but you move up a spot. If you lose, however, you have allowed him to turn his $400 to $800, plus the blinds, and have put him in a pretty good spot. If you do nothing, and don’t call the hand at all, you either (a) give him a chance to get a better hand, or (b) end up with an even worse hand than the original Q-10. Now, a hand that is barely worth a second thought in a ring game gives you tremendous potential. In this particular example at an online poker site if you are going to call a situation like this, it’s best just to put him all in and hope for the best. If he has enough of a hand to call the blind with, it is likely that he will call the raise, as long as it is pre-flop. If he is allowed to see the flop for just the blind – meaning, you don’t raise him – he might fold on you after he has seen that the flop hasn’t hit him. This is good for you – you win the hand – but it allows him the opportunity to select another good starting hand. If he calls your raise, you’ll just have to see what kind of luck you have, but the options are better for you in this case. If you win your hand, you have one less player to worry about. If you lose the hand, he has doubled up, but you still have a pretty decent chip lead over him. This doesn’t mean you should always attempt to bust other players in an online poker tournament. Wait for the right situation – just the two of you, a good chip lead, and a fairly decent hand. If there are already a few callers, this situation should look even less appealing. By playing three or four handed, this allows that same player to quadruple his money, and that puts him right back in the tournament. So, remember: choose wisely, because it’s never fun to have a player come back and beat you when you had the opportunity to bust him.
Byron Badd, Gambling911.com
Originally published March 17, 2007 10:43 am ET
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Indiana Poker Bust Nets Fellow Police Officer
According to reports in the Indianapolis Star, a poker club in Indianapolis was raided after a year-long investigation, catching one of their own in the act along the way. Sixty people, a mix of men and women ranging in age from 18 to 70, were allegedly playing poker on March 13th when the raid went down at the Pinnacle Club in Indianapolis and all have been charged with misdemeanor illegal gambling. One of those that were caught in the crackdown included an Indiana State Trooper, who has been placed on administrative duty until the case has been concluded. There were three men who allegedly were running the operation and they have been charged with felony illegal gambling and one of the
operators also was charged with carrying an unlicensed firearm. It is reported that almost $6,000 in cash, computers, flat screen monitors and poker paraphernalia was seized. After a year of investigation, the Indianapolis Police Department determined that the club was running games seven days a week. The club was apparently also the site of a robbery earlier in the month of March. On March 6th, two men reportedly entered the club with automatic weapons and were able to get away with slightly over $11,000. The assailants also attacked one of the operators, striking him with their weapons. This seems to be what was the impetus for the police action against the club. While only one state trooper was caught in this raid, players said it wasn't uncommon for other officers to be involved in playing at the club. Police officials didn't confirm this information and the players didn't name those officers involved. It seems raids and arrests like this are becoming more commonplace as people look to continue to play the game of poker. Current laws, from local ordinances to the UIGEA, continue to infringe on this desire to play America's game. To be sure, poker players must be very aware of the games they get involved in and, perhaps in time, the laws can be changed or amended to allow people to participate in the game. For more information on the Indianapolis raid, be sure to visit indystar.com for details.
operators also was charged with carrying an unlicensed firearm. It is reported that almost $6,000 in cash, computers, flat screen monitors and poker paraphernalia was seized. After a year of investigation, the Indianapolis Police Department determined that the club was running games seven days a week. The club was apparently also the site of a robbery earlier in the month of March. On March 6th, two men reportedly entered the club with automatic weapons and were able to get away with slightly over $11,000. The assailants also attacked one of the operators, striking him with their weapons. This seems to be what was the impetus for the police action against the club. While only one state trooper was caught in this raid, players said it wasn't uncommon for other officers to be involved in playing at the club. Police officials didn't confirm this information and the players didn't name those officers involved. It seems raids and arrests like this are becoming more commonplace as people look to continue to play the game of poker. Current laws, from local ordinances to the UIGEA, continue to infringe on this desire to play America's game. To be sure, poker players must be very aware of the games they get involved in and, perhaps in time, the laws can be changed or amended to allow people to participate in the game. For more information on the Indianapolis raid, be sure to visit indystar.com for details.
Dortmund EPT 2nd Place Finisher Online Poker Player
The European Poker Tour is the brainchild of the people who created the World Poker Tour, and like the WPT, the EPT always draws a lot of press. This year a new event, the Dortmund tournament, drew healthy crowds and there were many online poker qualifiers, such as Italian poker player Christiano Blanco. Blanco made a second place finish at the Dortmund EPT after qualifying for his seat at online poker room Everest Poker’s $100 + 9 EPT Winner’s Choice, picking up Euro 380,000 in the process. Dortmund EPT was won by Andreas Hoivold from Norway.
First $100k weekly at Everest Poker debuts Sunday
It's a monumental challenge, but Everest Poker thinks its players are up to the task of conquering a $100,000 weekly guaranteed tournament. The tournaments begin Sunday and will run weekly at 2:30 p.m. (GMT).
"Weekly tournaments of this size are only available because of the dedication of our player base, and we're very appreciative of their loyalty," said Jonathan May, Everest Poker property manager.
The tournament will have a $100+$9 buy-in, but satellites run throughout the week to win your way into it for much less.
This addition to the poker site's tournament roster comes shortly after the announcement of a weekly $100,000 guaranteed tournament on Saturdays as well.
"We look forward to seeing our players join in the action," May said. "With daily satellites featuring buy-ins of $12, it's going to be easier than ever for a new player to get a shot at $100,000. That's the sort of poker community we foster."
"Weekly tournaments of this size are only available because of the dedication of our player base, and we're very appreciative of their loyalty," said Jonathan May, Everest Poker property manager.
The tournament will have a $100+$9 buy-in, but satellites run throughout the week to win your way into it for much less.
This addition to the poker site's tournament roster comes shortly after the announcement of a weekly $100,000 guaranteed tournament on Saturdays as well.
"We look forward to seeing our players join in the action," May said. "With daily satellites featuring buy-ins of $12, it's going to be easier than ever for a new player to get a shot at $100,000. That's the sort of poker community we foster."
Northern Ireland Poker Championships Raided by Police
On Friday the 16th of March the Northern Ireland Poker Championships were prevented from taking place by the Gardai, (Irish Police Force) an event that could have serious implications for the future of large poker tournaments held across Ireland. The organisers of the festival, JPC Poker, had already changed its venue because of the uncertainty of the legality of poker tournaments in the North. The event was moved south of the border to the City North Hotel, Gormanston, Co. Meath, just 10 minutes North of Dublin Airport and just a half hour's drive from the Burlington hotel, where the 2007 Irish Open will be hosted less than three weeks from now. This hotel is also the venue chosen for the highly
anticipated Green Joker Poker Festival in May. The scheduled tournaments for the championship were a £1000 buy-in 3-day Main Event starting Friday March 16th, with a guaranteed prize-pool of £100,000, a £500 freeze-out on Saturday and a £250 freeze-out on Sunday. A Thursday charity game, which was originally part of the schedule, was cancelled and the organisers decided they would make a charitable donation to the Simon Foundation instead. At 7pm on Friday March 16th just one hour before the event was due to start the Gardai came to the lobby of the hotel and informed hotel management that if they allowed their property to be used for the poker festival it may result on the hotel losing its license. They also threatened to return the next morning with a warrant. With no alternative location available at such short notice the organisers were forced to abandon the game. They refunded £1100 to all players who had registered including the registration fee and generously added another £100 on top to represent the guaranteed overlay on the main event's prize-pool. The organisers pleaded with Gardai several times, even offering to donate any profit to charity but after considering these offers the police would not agree to allow the festival to go ahead. Many poker players were understandably furious with the Gardai's decision as it meant they had incurred serious travel and accommodation costs. The event had online qualifiers from Betfair. Many players came across the water from England. Some had travelled from as far as Poland and Austria. It has been speculated that this festival was targeted by the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) who contacted their colleagues in the south to prevent the game from proceeding. In January 2006 Northern Ireland police entered The Cavendish club in Belfast and confiscated over £20,000 in customers entry fees and also all of the poker equipment. However, this is the first time a poker event has been halted by police in the Republic, where tournaments have been hosted in pubs and hotels throughout the country without disturbance for several years. Under current Irish legislation holding a poker tournament with a one off registration fee is perfectly legal, but tournament organisers must now have major concerns as to the future of their businesses, and clarification will be sought from the authorities as to why this event was prevented from going ahead.
anticipated Green Joker Poker Festival in May. The scheduled tournaments for the championship were a £1000 buy-in 3-day Main Event starting Friday March 16th, with a guaranteed prize-pool of £100,000, a £500 freeze-out on Saturday and a £250 freeze-out on Sunday. A Thursday charity game, which was originally part of the schedule, was cancelled and the organisers decided they would make a charitable donation to the Simon Foundation instead. At 7pm on Friday March 16th just one hour before the event was due to start the Gardai came to the lobby of the hotel and informed hotel management that if they allowed their property to be used for the poker festival it may result on the hotel losing its license. They also threatened to return the next morning with a warrant. With no alternative location available at such short notice the organisers were forced to abandon the game. They refunded £1100 to all players who had registered including the registration fee and generously added another £100 on top to represent the guaranteed overlay on the main event's prize-pool. The organisers pleaded with Gardai several times, even offering to donate any profit to charity but after considering these offers the police would not agree to allow the festival to go ahead. Many poker players were understandably furious with the Gardai's decision as it meant they had incurred serious travel and accommodation costs. The event had online qualifiers from Betfair. Many players came across the water from England. Some had travelled from as far as Poland and Austria. It has been speculated that this festival was targeted by the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) who contacted their colleagues in the south to prevent the game from proceeding. In January 2006 Northern Ireland police entered The Cavendish club in Belfast and confiscated over £20,000 in customers entry fees and also all of the poker equipment. However, this is the first time a poker event has been halted by police in the Republic, where tournaments have been hosted in pubs and hotels throughout the country without disturbance for several years. Under current Irish legislation holding a poker tournament with a one off registration fee is perfectly legal, but tournament organisers must now have major concerns as to the future of their businesses, and clarification will be sought from the authorities as to why this event was prevented from going ahead.
Florida Reps Want to Attract Major Poker Tourneys
A bill is currently going through committees in both the Florida state house and senate that is designed to bring large multi-day poker tournaments to the states card rooms.
The bill would allow the state’s casinos and pari-mutuel facilities to each hold a major poker tournament twice a year. Although almost every casino, race track, and jai alai center in Florida has a cardroom, the law limits the hours of operation from noon to midnight, and cardrooms aren’t allowed to be open whenever an event isn’t taking place at the tracks or arenas.
The bill is working its way through committees in both the state house and senates, and, if everything goes as planned for the two sponsors, will be approved by the wings of government in May.
If that happens, the law change will take effect in July. If it doesn’t make it through the House by May, the bill will probably die because the House meets for only two months each year.
The sponsors, Senator Steve Geller and House Member Joe Gibbons, who are both Democrats, hope the law change will help further boost tourism in a state that depends on it.
“People want to come to Florida to begin, with so let’s compete with these other cities to have [big-time poker tournaments] here," said Kristin Carter, a legislative aid to Gibbons. “Poker’s gotten big, and a lot of people travel to these tournaments and we would love to have them come to Florida and patronize our districts.”
The bill requires the tournaments to be broadcast nationally, although specific language on what exactly that means is being revised.
This bill does not affect how cash ring games are run in Florida. Betting in ring games is limited to $2, with a maximum of three raises per hand. Despite this major restriction, live poker is very popular in the state, and through several major pub poker leagues in the state, its popularity continues to grow.
The bill would allow the state’s casinos and pari-mutuel facilities to each hold a major poker tournament twice a year. Although almost every casino, race track, and jai alai center in Florida has a cardroom, the law limits the hours of operation from noon to midnight, and cardrooms aren’t allowed to be open whenever an event isn’t taking place at the tracks or arenas.
The bill is working its way through committees in both the state house and senates, and, if everything goes as planned for the two sponsors, will be approved by the wings of government in May.
If that happens, the law change will take effect in July. If it doesn’t make it through the House by May, the bill will probably die because the House meets for only two months each year.
The sponsors, Senator Steve Geller and House Member Joe Gibbons, who are both Democrats, hope the law change will help further boost tourism in a state that depends on it.
“People want to come to Florida to begin, with so let’s compete with these other cities to have [big-time poker tournaments] here," said Kristin Carter, a legislative aid to Gibbons. “Poker’s gotten big, and a lot of people travel to these tournaments and we would love to have them come to Florida and patronize our districts.”
The bill requires the tournaments to be broadcast nationally, although specific language on what exactly that means is being revised.
This bill does not affect how cash ring games are run in Florida. Betting in ring games is limited to $2, with a maximum of three raises per hand. Despite this major restriction, live poker is very popular in the state, and through several major pub poker leagues in the state, its popularity continues to grow.
Saturday Summary of Week in Poker News
This week was jam-packed with poker news, including updates on online gambling legislation, World Series of Poker issues, and stories on the Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament. Here’s a summary of what happened.
Online Poker
PokerStars ran a Sunday Millions anniversary that upped the guarantee to $1.5 million and attracted 10,508 players, making the prize pool $2,101,600. It was possibly the largest real-money tournament field in history. Although a five-person deal was made at the final table, gambforlife emerged victorious after eliminating the other players while fighting for the $30,000 that must be set aside for first place, according Poker Stars chop rules.
To view the entire story, click here.
Poker Legislation and Hearings
A bill that would allow Florida cardrooms to hold multi-day poker tournaments is going through committees in both state house and senate. Cardrooms are currently prohibited from being open when an event is not taking place at the tracks or arenas.
To view entire story, click here.
Democrat Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank is considering legislation that would repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
To view entire story, click here.
Patrick Partouche, head of Groupe Partouche, France’s largest casino chain, has been fined and given a 12-month suspended sentence for his involvement with an online poker site. Pacific Poker is also facing potential fines.
To view entire story, click here.
The hearing for two former NETELLER board members that was scheduled for March 16 has been rescheduled by the judge and postponed until April 16. Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre are being charged with conspiring to transfer funds with the intent to promote illegal gambling.
To view entire story, click here.
Tournaments
The first ever Wynn Classic $10,000 buy-in championship final table consisted of multiple pros: Chau Giang, Michael Mizrachi, Scott Fischman, Mike Matusow, and Ted Lawson, but it was one of the three unknowns who took down the $749,033 first place prize. Ted Lawson finished runner-up to Zachary Hyman.
To view entire story, click here.
In his first major tournament, Thomas Jenson won the PartyPoker.net East vs. West Cup €100,000 freeroll at the Concord Card Casino in Vienna, Austria. David “Devilfish” Ulliott came in second and Tony G placed third.
To view entire story, click here.
The regional finals for the second Poker in the Pub league have begun after three months of play. The West Midlands final took place in Birmingham, and a little over 100 players fought for the prizes and seats to the national final.
To view entire story, click here.
Andreas Hoivold, a 35-year-old Norwegian, won the first-ever European Poker Tour Dortmund event for €672,000. The tournament took place at Casino Hohensyburg in Dortmund, Germany.
To view the entire story, click here.
Scott Carroll of Illinois defeated more than 500 players to win Absolute Poker’s Absolute Dream Promotion, receiving $125,000 worth of prizes. The package includes a one-on-one tutorial with Michael Mizrachi and buy-ins to the following: World Series of Poker main event, five World Poker Tour events, and the Ultimate Poker Challenge’s high-stakes cash game.
To view entire story, click here.
World Series of Poker
Online poker websites are giving poker players a chance to satellite into the World Series of Poker main event for buy-ins as small as $1.
For more information on satellites and poker sites, click here.
In a recent conference call, the World Series of Poker representatives outlined several changes for the 2007 WSOP.
To read more on WSOP changes and view entire article, click here.
Miscellaneous Poker News
Casinos in Las Vegas are using freerolls to reward their most frequent poker players. Those who log in enough hours, according to each tournament’s stipulations, will get to compete for a prize pool that the casino provides.
To view entire story and find out which casinos are running these freerolls, click here.
The Chicago chapter of the Women’s Junior League attracted over 450 guests to its casino-themed festival to raise money for charity. The JLC raised more than $50,000.
To view entire story, click here.
Tom Jacobs, an accomplished poker player and runner up in the 1992 World Series of Poker main event passed away.
To hear more about Jacobs, click here.
The Ladies Poker Association gave away a seat to the first tournament in the Ladies Professional Poker Tour. The LPPT and LPA are creating a ranking system for women. Their goal is to recognize women for their poker accomplishments.
To view entire story, click here.
Online Poker
PokerStars ran a Sunday Millions anniversary that upped the guarantee to $1.5 million and attracted 10,508 players, making the prize pool $2,101,600. It was possibly the largest real-money tournament field in history. Although a five-person deal was made at the final table, gambforlife emerged victorious after eliminating the other players while fighting for the $30,000 that must be set aside for first place, according Poker Stars chop rules.
To view the entire story, click here.
Poker Legislation and Hearings
A bill that would allow Florida cardrooms to hold multi-day poker tournaments is going through committees in both state house and senate. Cardrooms are currently prohibited from being open when an event is not taking place at the tracks or arenas.
To view entire story, click here.
Democrat Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank is considering legislation that would repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
To view entire story, click here.
Patrick Partouche, head of Groupe Partouche, France’s largest casino chain, has been fined and given a 12-month suspended sentence for his involvement with an online poker site. Pacific Poker is also facing potential fines.
To view entire story, click here.
The hearing for two former NETELLER board members that was scheduled for March 16 has been rescheduled by the judge and postponed until April 16. Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre are being charged with conspiring to transfer funds with the intent to promote illegal gambling.
To view entire story, click here.
Tournaments
The first ever Wynn Classic $10,000 buy-in championship final table consisted of multiple pros: Chau Giang, Michael Mizrachi, Scott Fischman, Mike Matusow, and Ted Lawson, but it was one of the three unknowns who took down the $749,033 first place prize. Ted Lawson finished runner-up to Zachary Hyman.
To view entire story, click here.
In his first major tournament, Thomas Jenson won the PartyPoker.net East vs. West Cup €100,000 freeroll at the Concord Card Casino in Vienna, Austria. David “Devilfish” Ulliott came in second and Tony G placed third.
To view entire story, click here.
The regional finals for the second Poker in the Pub league have begun after three months of play. The West Midlands final took place in Birmingham, and a little over 100 players fought for the prizes and seats to the national final.
To view entire story, click here.
Andreas Hoivold, a 35-year-old Norwegian, won the first-ever European Poker Tour Dortmund event for €672,000. The tournament took place at Casino Hohensyburg in Dortmund, Germany.
To view the entire story, click here.
Scott Carroll of Illinois defeated more than 500 players to win Absolute Poker’s Absolute Dream Promotion, receiving $125,000 worth of prizes. The package includes a one-on-one tutorial with Michael Mizrachi and buy-ins to the following: World Series of Poker main event, five World Poker Tour events, and the Ultimate Poker Challenge’s high-stakes cash game.
To view entire story, click here.
World Series of Poker
Online poker websites are giving poker players a chance to satellite into the World Series of Poker main event for buy-ins as small as $1.
For more information on satellites and poker sites, click here.
In a recent conference call, the World Series of Poker representatives outlined several changes for the 2007 WSOP.
To read more on WSOP changes and view entire article, click here.
Miscellaneous Poker News
Casinos in Las Vegas are using freerolls to reward their most frequent poker players. Those who log in enough hours, according to each tournament’s stipulations, will get to compete for a prize pool that the casino provides.
To view entire story and find out which casinos are running these freerolls, click here.
The Chicago chapter of the Women’s Junior League attracted over 450 guests to its casino-themed festival to raise money for charity. The JLC raised more than $50,000.
To view entire story, click here.
Tom Jacobs, an accomplished poker player and runner up in the 1992 World Series of Poker main event passed away.
To hear more about Jacobs, click here.
The Ladies Poker Association gave away a seat to the first tournament in the Ladies Professional Poker Tour. The LPPT and LPA are creating a ranking system for women. Their goal is to recognize women for their poker accomplishments.
To view entire story, click here.
Online Poker Room Adds Finnish and Danish Versions
Titan Poker is an online poker room that has survived the changes in US poker legislation very well, and in fact is blossoming in Europe. To add to its success the online poker room recently added its poker software in two more European languages, bringing the total number of available languages up to eleven. Titan was already available in Spanish, Polish, Turkish, English, French, German, Italian, Swedish, and Norwegian and is now available in Danish and Finnish as well, according to a recent press release. Titan Poker is the largest poker room in the iPoker Network.
Poker:Online Poker finds new Ally in former Senator Alfonse D'Amato
Written by Thomas Jensen
Saturday, 17 March 2007
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has enlisted a key ally in the "War on Online Gambling", former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato. Senator D'Amato is joining the PPA as Chairman of the Board and will be leading the efforts of the PPA in Washington D.C. The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a grassroots organization of more than 160,000 poker enthusiasts.Alfonse D'Amato is a long time online poker player and he has a distinguished 18 year record serving in the United States Senate. Now he is taking his enthusiasm, tenacity and political savvy directly to Congress to produce results for the Poker Players Alliance. This is welcome news to the entire online gambling industry and Point-Spreads.com looks forward to seeing the type of impact that Alfonse D'Amato will have fighting on behalf of our freedoms."We are proud that he has joined our team and we are excited about our prospects to get something done for poker in the near term," stated PPA President Michael Bolcerek."I have had a passion for poker since my childhood, and for politics almost as long. This new position will allow me to fuse these passions and help establish sensible policy that allows Americans to enjoy the great game of poker in the venue of their choosing," said Alfonse D'Amato.Approximately 23 million Americans enjoyed playing online poker in 2006. However, late last year the Republican led congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, making it illegal for financial institutions to knowingly process gambling transactions. "UIGEA has not had the impact it was intended to have," states Christopher Costigan President & Founder of Gambling911.com. "The only thing the new law did do successfully was chase out legitimate and transparent publicly traded companies.""Prohibitions don't work, they only create unintended consequences. The American people know this and we are going to make sure Congress knows it too," said Senator D'Amato to the New York Times. "We need common sense regulation of Internet poker. Prohibition will only drive the industry underground and strip away any protections for children and services for problem gamblers."The Poker Players Alliance will be working with the current Congress to provide a skill game exemption for poker and pave the way for eventual regulation and taxation of the industry in the United States.
Saturday, 17 March 2007
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has enlisted a key ally in the "War on Online Gambling", former U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato. Senator D'Amato is joining the PPA as Chairman of the Board and will be leading the efforts of the PPA in Washington D.C. The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a grassroots organization of more than 160,000 poker enthusiasts.Alfonse D'Amato is a long time online poker player and he has a distinguished 18 year record serving in the United States Senate. Now he is taking his enthusiasm, tenacity and political savvy directly to Congress to produce results for the Poker Players Alliance. This is welcome news to the entire online gambling industry and Point-Spreads.com looks forward to seeing the type of impact that Alfonse D'Amato will have fighting on behalf of our freedoms."We are proud that he has joined our team and we are excited about our prospects to get something done for poker in the near term," stated PPA President Michael Bolcerek."I have had a passion for poker since my childhood, and for politics almost as long. This new position will allow me to fuse these passions and help establish sensible policy that allows Americans to enjoy the great game of poker in the venue of their choosing," said Alfonse D'Amato.Approximately 23 million Americans enjoyed playing online poker in 2006. However, late last year the Republican led congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, making it illegal for financial institutions to knowingly process gambling transactions. "UIGEA has not had the impact it was intended to have," states Christopher Costigan President & Founder of Gambling911.com. "The only thing the new law did do successfully was chase out legitimate and transparent publicly traded companies.""Prohibitions don't work, they only create unintended consequences. The American people know this and we are going to make sure Congress knows it too," said Senator D'Amato to the New York Times. "We need common sense regulation of Internet poker. Prohibition will only drive the industry underground and strip away any protections for children and services for problem gamblers."The Poker Players Alliance will be working with the current Congress to provide a skill game exemption for poker and pave the way for eventual regulation and taxation of the industry in the United States.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Addressing the Stated Gambling Concerns - Legitimacy of Games and Operators
When the internet prohibition bill was introduced, the Government stated four reasons for wanting internet gambling banned. These included 1) a concern that the games and/or operators may not be on the up and up 2) that there is a greater risk for underage betting 3) that there is a greater risk for addiction and problem gambling and 4) that it will take away from state revenues derived from land based casinos. Later, the concern over money laundering came up.Over the next couple of weeks I will be putting together a series of articles aimed at addressing each of these concerns to show that they are not as dire as the U.S. Government has made them out to be. And more importantly that they can be easily rectified, even more so than at brick and mortar casinos. The series will close with an article discussing the benefits of online gambling and why the 2008 U.S. Democratic candidate should consider having online gambling legalization as a issue for his or her campaign. In this article I will address the first stated concern, namely that games and/or operators may not be legitimate.When Kyl stated his fear that online games may not be legitimate, the implication was that they could be fixed to pay out at a poor rate or that they could be rigged in other ways. Obviously in stating this he was not considering wagering on sports where the outcome is settled on the field of play. In sports betting, with the exception of horse racing, the odds are fixed and the payouts are known. If someone bets on a team at -110 for $550 they know that they will either win $500, lose $550, or have their stake returned to them in the case of a tie. Even parlays, futures and teasers have fixed odds associated with them and the potential payout or loss is known in advance. The funds for the bet are withdrawn from the account as soon as the wager is made, and the winnings are credited after the game or competition is complete. There is no way to "fix" payouts for sports betting online, and furthermore the odds at most offshore sportsbooks are actually better than they are in Las Vegas. It is not uncommon to find less than the standard 20 cent lines on many sports with online books, and parlays and futures generally pay out at a better rate. For football and basketball, most Las Vegas books still pay 6/1 on a 3 teamer, 10/1 on a 4 team parlay, 20/1 on a 5 team parlay and 35/1 on a 6 team parlay. Online, most sportsbooks will payout at a multiple of whatever their game lines are. So 3 teamers will also pay 6/1 but 4 team parlays pay 12.3/1, 5 team parlays pay 23.4/1 etc.As such, Kyl's trepidation must have been in regards to casino games and poker. These fears are legitimate, but funny play with today's software is almost impossible. Aside from the fact that news of any rigged games would spread like wildfire across the internet, leaving the casino company with no customers, for the most part, casino or poker companies do not have control in the design of the programming for the games. The games are purchased from various software suppliers like Wagerlogic who ensure that their software is not compromised. Clearly, a publicly traded company like Cryptologic with blue chip gaming clients in respected jurisdictions are not going to risk its business model with unscrupulous casino companies, so they maintain control of their product by only licensing those companies to use the software and then in turn work in a partnership with the host site. It may appear that the site itself is in full control of the software, but in reality they have no way of altering the randomness of the payouts. And if it is determined that there are problems with the site, the software provider usually has a right in its contract to revoke the license. The games are powered by complex random number generators and are set to pay out at a predetermined percentage. And for most reputable suppliers and casinos, the payout rate is clearly listed on the site - usually from 94 to 98 percent depending on the game played. The payout rate cannot be altered or manipulated by the casino. Obviously there will be times when the dealer will win 5, 10 or even 20 times straight causing everyone to yell "fix", but there will also be the same result on the other side. In any land based casino, there will be hot and cold streaks in any blackjack, craps or other casino game, so one has to expect the same thing to occur online. Clearly, online casinos would prefer that the games appear as random as possible to eliminate any protests from the public and the inevitable cries of "fix" when dealers go on streaks. The problem of course is that to do this, the software company would actually have to rig the games. If games are realistic they have to be truly random which means at times they will appear rigged. But studies and audits from companies such as Price Waterhouse Coopers and Deloitte Touche have shown over and over that online casino games are truly random.As for poker software, the same holds true as with online casinos, but with one major difference. Unlike online casinos, players are playing against each other and not the house. The poker room takes a percentage from each round of hands dealt (the rake), similar to any poker room in the United States or elsewhere in the world. In poker tournaments, a small fee (usually 10%) is added to each entry to provide the poker room and software provider with an incentive for offering them. So in a $20 tournament with 100 people, there will be $2,000 to divvy up among the winners and the poker room will net $200 as a fee for hosting the tournament. Since the players are independent of the poker room, there is absolutely no incentive for the poker rooms to rig any software. There have always been rumors of cheating in poker rooms, but as was posted in my article: "It's Not the Software Stupid, It's You" http://www.majorwager.com/index.cfm?page=27&show_column=380&CFID=4518312&CFTOKEN! =25394872, there is just no proof that the software is rigged. I tested close to 2,000 hands at various levels and in different game types, and the results were random. Clearly the result of bad beats is the fact that bad players play too many hands, particularly at the lower limits and too often get lucky. Most of the time, however, the poorer players lose.That said, there have been other concerns mentioned in regards to poker, which could make it appear that the legislators were correct in stating online poker is subject to more questionable tactics than in brick and mortar poker rooms. These include collusion, robots, poker cheats and people who purposely disconnect. As it stands now, the number one issue poker rooms face to protect the integrity of their games is player collusion. This occurs where two or more players at a table work together to improve their chances. Often they will be on Instant Messenger and relay to each other what cards they have. By knowing 2 or more of the hands at the table it gives the colluders a huge advantage in knowing when it's appropriate to fold, raise or call. Furthermore, colluders with weak hands can often raise the bets to help out the colluders with great hands, forcing others to spend more money to get into the pot. This is essentially the equivalent of the guy at the auction who works for the auction house, but puts in bids to force others to raise theirs. The good news is that poker monitoring software is becoming increasingly more sophisticated so that the poker sites can usually spot colluders almost immediately. When someone folds Q-Q or A-K suited prior to a flop it sends off alarm bells to those monitoring the play, particularly if someone else has K-K or A-A. And upon spotting collusion, if the players cannot provide valid reasons for their play, the poker sites will ban them and their IPs from playing at that poker room any more and will inform other poker rooms on the internet about the colluders. Brick and mortar poker rooms don't even have ways to do perform this type of monitoring.A lesser concern is robots, or computers that play a large number of games. These robots have all the calculations in mind, know the odds and play according to the "rules". They also can be set to bluff every dozen or so hands to keep the other players honest. The problem of course is that if they play high stakes games they could be in against the Greg Raymer or Chris Ferguson types who are more skilled and have the human skills that robots don't have to read players. At low stakes games they may be playing bad players who will beat them often by going in with 3-5 offsuit and lucking into a straight. But more than that, the monitoring software will pick it up. If a player has played for 20 hours straight or there is a set reaction time to every player response, the software will flag it as a robot and block the IP from playing there or across the poker network anymore.Software cheats are computer programs that hack into the software and allow you to see the other people's cards. I read about this on several occasions, but upon speaking to thousands of online poker players I have yet to hear of anyone this has actually happened to. Firewall technology and poker software today are just too sophisticated, and if this did indeed happen news would spread and the poker room would be out of business in a heartbeat. In 1999 there was a problem with the algorithm at an online poker room, but the software was patched immediately and similar problems were never reported there afterwards. Poker software has improved remarkably since 1999.Lastly, there is always the concern that players can disconnect if they have a hand that they don't want to play but also don't want to fold. This was a problem with online poker at first, but was quickly remedied when players were given one "all in" per day and then their hands were automatically folded if they disconnected. Regardless, the poker rooms monitor IP addresses, suspicious betting, and security can call up histories of every card someone has played to look for behaviour patterns or study players who appear to be "too close". When it is determined that someone is cheating, their accounts are closed and their IP addresses banned across the player network. The risk of cheating is just too high.But in any case, there is another solution as well. CPA firms like Price Waterhouse Coopers and Deloitte Touche have started conducting quality audits as a standard product they offer. Quality audits ensure that products run as they are supposed to. This includes monitoring IT programs, statistical models and anything else that can call on the credibility of the program. Since the U.S. Government trusts these public accounting firms to be upfront with the results of the financial statements for publicly traded companies, and since the Government uses these same companies to conduct Government audits where they determine whether a government is spending tax money wisely (which are essentially quality audits), they would certainly feel comfortable if independent auditors from these public accounting firms can confirm that all casino games, poker rooms and the grading of sports bets are legitimate and fair. It should be noted that most casinos and poker rooms already conduct voluntary audits on an annual basis, but if using named firms ensures they can stay in business it is doubtful many online operations would object to it.That brings us to the other concern, namely the legitimacy of the offshore casino owner themselves. This is more of a political issue than the games themselves, but it shouldn't be a problem to address. There have been instances of offshore owners who have taken post up money and just skipped town with those funds. It happened with RKR Sports, it happed with Dial-A-Bet, it happened with Ace's Gold and it has happened at other times as well. For the most part, offshore owners have been honest and have never had payment issues, but there is a chance that a disreputable individual could be granted a license to operate. Clearly the U.S. Government would prefer if all the offshore operators were hard working MBAs who volunteer with the Boy Scouts or Big Brothers in their spare time, but moral character has never been an issue when licensing brick and mortar casino operators in the United States. What does need to be considered is whether the owners are qualified in their field and can pay the players. When it comes down to it, the only real concern of bettors and government is that the owner has the funds to bankroll the operation. This can be determined in 2 ways. First, a background check can be conducted on of all the key individuals and beneficial owners who apply for a license to ensure that they indeed have the necessary know how and resources to run an online casino or sportsbook. While this won't guarantee that the owner won't leave town early, it will at least ensure that they have the resources and are not simply gamblers hoping for a quick buck by operating as the house on borrowed money. A second option is to have a licensing rule similar to Australia. In that country any owners must have all post up funds held in escrow in a separate bank account that is accessed only by the government. This ensures that if an operation were to go under, all people with accounts at the operation in question would have their post up money returned to them. As well, there must be a mandatory decision not to allow credit betting under any circumstances. By instituting these requirements, if a company were to fail, at least the bettors would have their money returned. Naturally, this won't guarantee that money is paid for pending futures bets or any large surpluses in player's accounts, but at least it ensures the operator can't continue in business and run up further losses or skip town and run away with all the post up money. If a Las Vegas casino were to go under, it's safe to say that the Nevada government wouldn't assume liabilities for any large future bets either.Hopefully I have shown that any concerns related to the honesty and integrity of online games and operators can be addressed in a manner that makes everybody happy, and that routine public audits will ensure that games are never compromised and run as they should. In my next article I'll address the concerns of underage betting and problem gambling.
Video poker mythbusters
When we think about myths and legends surrounding electronic gaming devices, we mostly think about the odd things people believe about slots. Is there a jackpot button an operator can push to reward a deserving player? Is a machine due to pay off after a long losing streak? Do games pay higher percentages on weekdays than weekends?
The answers: No, no, and no.
There's less mystery about video poker games. After all, the pay tables tell us what the long-term payback percentages on video poker games should be, something we can't tell by looking at a slot machine.
Still, video poker players have come up with their own set of myths. Let's try to bust a few:
MYTH: Higher denomination games pay more than lower denomination games.
FACT: Games of the same pay table return the same percentages in the long run, regardless of coin denomination.
The myth seems plausible enough, doesn't it? It's usually true that $5 slots pay more than $1 slots, which pay more than quarters, which pay more than nickels, which pay more than pennies. Shouldn't that apply to video poker, too?
It doesn't. A 9-6 Jacks or Better machine, where full houses pay 9-for-1 and flushes 6-for-1, pays the same 99.5 percent with expert play regardless of whether you're playing for pennies, $100 or anything in between. Drop the full house and flush paybacks to 8-5, and the return drops to 97.3 percent, again regardless of coin denomination.
In most casinos, you'll find a mix of higher and lower-paying games within each denomination. In Las Vegas, you're even more likely to find some higher-paying games at the lower coin values. Full-pay Deuces Wild, a 100.8 percent game with expert play, is fairly easy to find on quarters, but rare on dollar games. A game that good at high denominations is seen as an invitation to the pros.
MYTH: Games that offer big jackpots on four Aces deal fewer four-Ace hands.
FACT: Players actually get four Aces more often on games such as Double Bonus Poker and Super Aces than they do on games without four-Ace jackpots. The machine doesn't have to deal four Aces less often to make up for the jackpots. That's all taken care of elsewhere on the pay tables, with lower paybacks on other hands such as full houses, flushes and two pairs.
Smart players adjust their strategy to the pay table, and play for the Aces more often. In 8-5 Super Aces, for instance, we'll draw four Aces about once per 4,209 hands, while in 9-6 Jacks or Better, the average is more than 5,100 hands between four-Ace hands.
Why? Because in Super Aces, we'll hold just the Aces in two-pair hands, break up a full house to hold three Aces, and hold just an Ace instead of two or three unsuited high cards. We make the opposite plays in Jacks or Better.
The machine just deals us the cards randomly. If we used the same strategy for all pay tables, we'd get four Aces with the same frequency on different games. When our strategy favors Aces, we get the Ace quads more often.
MYTH: When you discard just one card, it's usually replaced with a card of the same denomination.
FACT: When you discard just one card, you'll get a card of the same denomination about 3 times per 47 plays.
Let's say you have 4-5-6-7 of mixed suits, and you throw away a 10. You've seen five of the 52 cards in the deck, leaving 47 possible draws. Three of those remaining 47 cards is a 10. Your chances of drawing another 10 are 3 in 47.
Sometimes the chances are less. If you have 4-5-6-7 of hearts and a 7 of spades, you discard the spade and hope for a flush or straight flush. The 7s of clubs and diamonds remain, so you have a 2 in 47 chance of drawing another 7.
But streaks happen, and humans have a gift for selective memory. Two or three or four instances in a short time of a draw bringing a card of the same denomination can leave someone muttering that he or she always gets the same card on the draw.
Players have been telling me about same-card draws for years, and I always suggest they keep track, keep an exact count of how many one-card draws they make, and how often they get a same-denomination replacement. With real scrutiny, the effect disappears.
MYTH: After a big-paying hand, the machine stops paying.
FACT: Odds are the same after a big hand as they were before.
This is a myth video poker players share with slot players. Everyone seems to think a machine needs to go into makeup mode after a big pay. It doesn't. In the long run, any big hit just fades into statistical insignificance.
Now, I always recommend putting away a good chunk of any big hit. But if you're going to continue playing, there's nothing in video poker programming that suggests you should do it at a different machine. The deal continues to be random. A low-paying makeup time --- well, that's just one of those video poker myths.
Listen to John Grochowski's "Beat the Odds" tips Saturdays at 6:20 a.m., 2:50 p.m. and 7:41 p.m. and Sundays at 8:20 a.m., 2:50 p.m. and 10:42 p.m. on WBBM-AM, News Radio 780 in Chicago, streaming online at www.wbbm780.com, and to his casino talk show from 7 to 8 p.m. Saturday on WCKG-FM (105.9),
The answers: No, no, and no.
There's less mystery about video poker games. After all, the pay tables tell us what the long-term payback percentages on video poker games should be, something we can't tell by looking at a slot machine.
Still, video poker players have come up with their own set of myths. Let's try to bust a few:
MYTH: Higher denomination games pay more than lower denomination games.
FACT: Games of the same pay table return the same percentages in the long run, regardless of coin denomination.
The myth seems plausible enough, doesn't it? It's usually true that $5 slots pay more than $1 slots, which pay more than quarters, which pay more than nickels, which pay more than pennies. Shouldn't that apply to video poker, too?
It doesn't. A 9-6 Jacks or Better machine, where full houses pay 9-for-1 and flushes 6-for-1, pays the same 99.5 percent with expert play regardless of whether you're playing for pennies, $100 or anything in between. Drop the full house and flush paybacks to 8-5, and the return drops to 97.3 percent, again regardless of coin denomination.
In most casinos, you'll find a mix of higher and lower-paying games within each denomination. In Las Vegas, you're even more likely to find some higher-paying games at the lower coin values. Full-pay Deuces Wild, a 100.8 percent game with expert play, is fairly easy to find on quarters, but rare on dollar games. A game that good at high denominations is seen as an invitation to the pros.
MYTH: Games that offer big jackpots on four Aces deal fewer four-Ace hands.
FACT: Players actually get four Aces more often on games such as Double Bonus Poker and Super Aces than they do on games without four-Ace jackpots. The machine doesn't have to deal four Aces less often to make up for the jackpots. That's all taken care of elsewhere on the pay tables, with lower paybacks on other hands such as full houses, flushes and two pairs.
Smart players adjust their strategy to the pay table, and play for the Aces more often. In 8-5 Super Aces, for instance, we'll draw four Aces about once per 4,209 hands, while in 9-6 Jacks or Better, the average is more than 5,100 hands between four-Ace hands.
Why? Because in Super Aces, we'll hold just the Aces in two-pair hands, break up a full house to hold three Aces, and hold just an Ace instead of two or three unsuited high cards. We make the opposite plays in Jacks or Better.
The machine just deals us the cards randomly. If we used the same strategy for all pay tables, we'd get four Aces with the same frequency on different games. When our strategy favors Aces, we get the Ace quads more often.
MYTH: When you discard just one card, it's usually replaced with a card of the same denomination.
FACT: When you discard just one card, you'll get a card of the same denomination about 3 times per 47 plays.
Let's say you have 4-5-6-7 of mixed suits, and you throw away a 10. You've seen five of the 52 cards in the deck, leaving 47 possible draws. Three of those remaining 47 cards is a 10. Your chances of drawing another 10 are 3 in 47.
Sometimes the chances are less. If you have 4-5-6-7 of hearts and a 7 of spades, you discard the spade and hope for a flush or straight flush. The 7s of clubs and diamonds remain, so you have a 2 in 47 chance of drawing another 7.
But streaks happen, and humans have a gift for selective memory. Two or three or four instances in a short time of a draw bringing a card of the same denomination can leave someone muttering that he or she always gets the same card on the draw.
Players have been telling me about same-card draws for years, and I always suggest they keep track, keep an exact count of how many one-card draws they make, and how often they get a same-denomination replacement. With real scrutiny, the effect disappears.
MYTH: After a big-paying hand, the machine stops paying.
FACT: Odds are the same after a big hand as they were before.
This is a myth video poker players share with slot players. Everyone seems to think a machine needs to go into makeup mode after a big pay. It doesn't. In the long run, any big hit just fades into statistical insignificance.
Now, I always recommend putting away a good chunk of any big hit. But if you're going to continue playing, there's nothing in video poker programming that suggests you should do it at a different machine. The deal continues to be random. A low-paying makeup time --- well, that's just one of those video poker myths.
Listen to John Grochowski's "Beat the Odds" tips Saturdays at 6:20 a.m., 2:50 p.m. and 7:41 p.m. and Sundays at 8:20 a.m., 2:50 p.m. and 10:42 p.m. on WBBM-AM, News Radio 780 in Chicago, streaming online at www.wbbm780.com, and to his casino talk show from 7 to 8 p.m. Saturday on WCKG-FM (105.9),
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Poker ,poker define,what is poker?
Idioms:
poker
Idioms beginning with poker:poker faceIn addition to the idiom beginning with poker, also see stiff as a board (poker).
Britannica:
poker
Any of several card games in which a player bets that the value of his or her hand is greater than that of the hands held by others. Each subsequent player must either equal or raise the bet or drop out. The pot is eventually won by either the player showing the best hand when it comes to a showdown or the only player left when everyone else has dropped out, or "folded." In this case the winner need not show his hand and could conceivably have won the pot with a lower hand than any other at the table. It is for this reason that poker is described as a game of bluff. Three principal forms of the game have developed: straight poker, in which all cards of the standard five-card hand are dealt facedown; stud poker, in which some but not all of a player's cards are dealt faceup; and community-card poker, in which some cards are exposed and used by all the players to form their best hand. In draw poker, the main variant of straight poker, cards may be discarded and additional cards drawn. The traditional ranking of hands is (1) straight flush (five cards of the same suit in sequence, the highest sequence — ace, king, queen, jack, ten — being called a royal flush), (2) four of a kind, (3) full house (three of a kind, plus a pair), (4) flush (five of a single suit), (5) straight (five in sequence), (6) three of a kind, (7) two pair, (8) one pair.
Encyclopedia :
poker, card game, believed to have originated in Asia and first played in the United States in the 19th cent. A traditional cutthroat gambling game at first, it is now also an internationally popular social pastime.
Basic Rules
Poker is fundamentally a gambling game and is played either for money or for chips purchased from the game's banker. In all of the many variations there are betting rounds during which each player in the game must fold (stop playing the hand), call (equal the bet made), or raise (increase the bet made). All bets are placed together to form a pot. The object of all poker games is to win the pot either by holding the best hand or by inducing (bluffing) the others to drop.
The two basic forms are draw poker and stud poker, in both of which a deck of 52 cards is used and sometimes a joker added. Five players are said to make the best game, although from 2 to 10 are able to play at once. All suits are equal, and cards rank from the ace as high (it is also low) down through the two, or deuce. Often deuces are designated “wild,” thereby counting (at the holder's option) for any other card.
There are 2,598,960 possible poker hands with 52 cards. In both draw and stud poker the player who holds in his hand the best combination of cards wins the game. The principal combinations rank as follows: straight flush (a five-card sequence in one suit, e.g., the ace, king, queen, jack and ten, also called a royal flush, the highest possible combination in the game), four of a kind (e.g., four aces), full house (three of a kind plus a pair), flush (five of one suit), straight (a five-card sequence regardless of suit), three of a kind, two pairs, and one pair. Below this, pots are won by the hand holding the highest cards.
Draw Poker
In draw poker five cards are dealt singly, face down and in rotation, to each player who has paid an ante to the pot before play began. Betting proceeds in clockwise fashion from the player at the dealer's left, who may either put up an opening wager or check (defer to the next player). Once a player has opened the betting, the others must call the opening player's bet to stay in the game. In jackpots, perhaps the commonest variety of draw poker, a player must have at least a pair of jacks to open.
At the conclusion of the first round of betting, a player may now stand pat (hold his or her five original cards) or draw from one to four cards from the stack (after discarding the same number from the hand). Another betting interval follows, beginning with the opener. If a bet is not met, the winner is not required to show his or her hand. When a bet is called, all hands are shown and the best hand wins.
Stud Poker
In stud poker, sometimes called open poker, each player is dealt singly one card down (the hole card) and one card face up. Each player looks at the card he or she has in the hole, but lets it remain face down. The player with the highest card showing starts a betting interval, and when all players have completed their betting, another card is dealt face up. This goes on until each player has four cards showing and one face down. After the final betting interval, the hole cards are exposed and the best hand wins. The many variations of poker include high-low poker, seven-card stud poker, and spit-in-the-ocean.
Bibliography
See A. H. Morehead, The Complete Guide to Winning Poker (1967); A. N. Darling, The Great American Pastime (1970).
Poker
A card game that involves strategy, bluffing, and luck, in which players bet that they hold the highest ranking hand. Although there are many variations, all include betting rounds during which each player can either call (place a bet equal to the current bet), raise (increase the current bet), or fold (forfeit the hand). All bets are placed in a central pot that is awarded to the player with the best combination of cards judged according to a predetermined ranking system.
SoundPoker Says: The great thing about poker is that it is simple enough for anybody to pick up but complicated enough that you can take a lifetime to master. It’s not like other games at the casino that rely completely on luck. Though luck obviously does play an important role, poker is still gambling after all, there is much that separates a good poker player from a bad poker player. This is perhaps what best separates poker from other gambling such as slots or roulette.
See Also: Poker Face, Texas Hold'em
Related Links: This tutorial is designed to give a new player everything he or she needs to know to play a game, rules, card rankings, types of games, and etiquette. Poker 101
Wikipedia
poker
For the domestic fireplace tool, see fireplace poker.
A game of Texas hold'em, the most popular form of poker, in progress.
Poker is a popular skill-based card game in which players with fully or partially concealed cards make wagers into a central pot. The pot is awarded to the player or players with the best combination of cards or to the player who makes an uncalled bet. Poker can also refer to video poker, a single-player game seen in casinos much like a slot machine, or to other games that use poker hand rankings.
Game play
Poker is played in a multitude of variations, but most follow the same basic pattern of play.
The right to deal each hand typically rotates among the players and is marked by a token called a 'dealer' button or buck. In a casino, a house dealer handles the cards for each hand, but a button (typically a white plastic disk) is rotated clockwise among the players to indicate a nominal dealer to determine the order of betting.
For each hand, one or more players are required to make forced bets to create an initial stake for which the players will contest. The dealer shuffles the cards, he cuts, and the appropriate number of cards are dealt to the players one at a time. Cards may be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being played. After the initial deal, the first of what may be several betting rounds begins. Between rounds, the players' hands develop in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are gathered into the central pot.
At any time during a betting round, if a player makes a bet, opponents are required to fold, call or raise. If one player bets and no opponents choose to match the bet, the hand ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot, no cards are required to be shown, and the next hand begins. This possibility of winning a pot without showing a hand makes bluffing possible. Bluffing is a primary feature of poker, one that distinguishes it from other vying games and from other games that make use of poker hand rankings.
At the end of the last betting round, if more than one player remains, there is a showdown, in which the players reveal their previously hidden cards and evaluate their hands. The player with the best hand according to the poker variant being played wins the pot.
The most popular poker variants are as follows:
Draw poker
Players each receive five — as in five-card draw — or more cards, all of which are hidden. They can then replace one or more of these cards a certain number of times.
Stud poker
Players receive cards one at a time, some being displayed to other players at the table. The key difference between stud and 'draw' poker is that players are not allowed to discard or replace any cards.
Community card poker
Players combine individually dealt cards with a number of "community cards" dealt face up and shared by all players. Two or four individual cards may be dealt in the most popular variations, Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em, respectively.
See betting (poker) for detailed rules regarding forced bets, betting actions, limits, stakes, and all-in situations. See List of poker variants and poker hand rankings for order of play and other details for the most common poker variants.
History
The history of poker is a matter of some debate. The name of the game likely descended from the French poque, which descended from the German pochen ('to knock'). Yet it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names. It closely resembles the Persian game of as nas, and may have been taught to French settlers in New Orleans by Persian sailors. It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the Renaissance game of primero and the French brelan. The English game brag (earlier bragg) clearly descended from brelan and incorporated bluffing (though the concept was known in other games by that time). It is quite possible that all of these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now.
English actor Joseph Crowell reported that the game was played in New Orleans in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, four players betting on which player's hand was the most valuable. Jonathan H. Green's book, An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by Mississippi riverboats, on which gambling was a common pastime. As it spread up the Mississippi and West during the gold rush, it is thought to have become a part of the frontier, pioneering ethos.
Harry Truman's poker chips
Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck was used, and the flush was introduced. During the American Civil War, many additions were made, including draw poker, stud poker (the five-card variant), and the straight. Further American developments followed, such as the wild card (around 1875), lowball and split-pot poker (around 1900), and community card poker games (around 1925). The spread of the game to other countries, particularly in Asia, is often attributed to the U.S. military.
The game and jargon of poker have become important parts of American culture and English culture. Such phrases and clichés as ace in the hole, ace up one's sleeve, beats me, blue chip, call one's bluff, cash in, high roller, pass the buck, poker face, stack up, up the ante, when the chips are down, wild card, and others are used in everyday conversation, even by those unaware of their origins at the poker table.
Poker Room at the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Modern tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World Series of Poker began, in 1970. Notable champions from these early WSOP tournaments include Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, and Doyle Brunson. It was also during that decade that the first serious strategy books appeared, notably Super/System by Doyle Brunson (ISBN 1-58042-081-8) and The Book of Tells by Mike Caro (ISBN 0-89746-100-2), followed later by The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky (ISBN 1-880685-00-0).
Poker’s popularity experienced an unprecedented spike in the first years of the 21st century, largely because of the introduction of online poker and the invention of the hole-card camera, which turned the game into a spectator sport. Viewers could now follow the action and drama of the game, and broadcasts of poker tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour brought in huge audiences for cable and satellite TV distributors. Because of the increasing coverage of poker events, poker pros are becoming more and more like celebrities, with poker fans all over the world entering into expensive tournaments for the chance to play with them. This increased camera exposure also brings a new dimension to the poker professional's game—the realization that their actions may be aired later on TV.
Major poker tournament fields have grown dramatically because of the growing popularity of online satellite-qualifier tournaments where the prize is an entry into a major tournament. The 2003 and 2004 WSOP champions, Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, respectively, won their seats to the main event by winning online satellites.
See also
Wikibooks has more about this subject:
Poker
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Poker
Poker jargon
List of poker related topics
Betting (poker)
Rule variations (poker)
List of poker variants
Online poker
SAFE Port Act
Ring games
Poker room/card room
Poker tournament
Poker strategy
World Series of Poker
Poker probability
References
Brunson, Doyle (1979). Doyle Brunson's Super System. Cardoza. ISBN 1-58042-081-8.
Sklansky, David (1989). The Theory of Poker (3rd Ed). Two Plus Two Publications. ISBN 1-880685-00-0.
Vorhaus, John (2002). Killer Poker. Lyle Stuart. ISBN 0-8184-0630-5.
Ernest, James; Selinker, Mike; Foglio, Phil (2005). Dealer's Choice: The Complete Handbook of Saturday Night Poker. Overlook Press. ISBN 1-58567-654-3.
Caro, Mike (1978). Caro's Book of Poker Tells. Cardoza. ISBN 1-58042-082-6.
External links
Poker at the Open Directory Project
poker
Idioms beginning with poker:poker faceIn addition to the idiom beginning with poker, also see stiff as a board (poker).
Britannica:
poker
Any of several card games in which a player bets that the value of his or her hand is greater than that of the hands held by others. Each subsequent player must either equal or raise the bet or drop out. The pot is eventually won by either the player showing the best hand when it comes to a showdown or the only player left when everyone else has dropped out, or "folded." In this case the winner need not show his hand and could conceivably have won the pot with a lower hand than any other at the table. It is for this reason that poker is described as a game of bluff. Three principal forms of the game have developed: straight poker, in which all cards of the standard five-card hand are dealt facedown; stud poker, in which some but not all of a player's cards are dealt faceup; and community-card poker, in which some cards are exposed and used by all the players to form their best hand. In draw poker, the main variant of straight poker, cards may be discarded and additional cards drawn. The traditional ranking of hands is (1) straight flush (five cards of the same suit in sequence, the highest sequence — ace, king, queen, jack, ten — being called a royal flush), (2) four of a kind, (3) full house (three of a kind, plus a pair), (4) flush (five of a single suit), (5) straight (five in sequence), (6) three of a kind, (7) two pair, (8) one pair.
Encyclopedia :
poker, card game, believed to have originated in Asia and first played in the United States in the 19th cent. A traditional cutthroat gambling game at first, it is now also an internationally popular social pastime.
Basic Rules
Poker is fundamentally a gambling game and is played either for money or for chips purchased from the game's banker. In all of the many variations there are betting rounds during which each player in the game must fold (stop playing the hand), call (equal the bet made), or raise (increase the bet made). All bets are placed together to form a pot. The object of all poker games is to win the pot either by holding the best hand or by inducing (bluffing) the others to drop.
The two basic forms are draw poker and stud poker, in both of which a deck of 52 cards is used and sometimes a joker added. Five players are said to make the best game, although from 2 to 10 are able to play at once. All suits are equal, and cards rank from the ace as high (it is also low) down through the two, or deuce. Often deuces are designated “wild,” thereby counting (at the holder's option) for any other card.
There are 2,598,960 possible poker hands with 52 cards. In both draw and stud poker the player who holds in his hand the best combination of cards wins the game. The principal combinations rank as follows: straight flush (a five-card sequence in one suit, e.g., the ace, king, queen, jack and ten, also called a royal flush, the highest possible combination in the game), four of a kind (e.g., four aces), full house (three of a kind plus a pair), flush (five of one suit), straight (a five-card sequence regardless of suit), three of a kind, two pairs, and one pair. Below this, pots are won by the hand holding the highest cards.
Draw Poker
In draw poker five cards are dealt singly, face down and in rotation, to each player who has paid an ante to the pot before play began. Betting proceeds in clockwise fashion from the player at the dealer's left, who may either put up an opening wager or check (defer to the next player). Once a player has opened the betting, the others must call the opening player's bet to stay in the game. In jackpots, perhaps the commonest variety of draw poker, a player must have at least a pair of jacks to open.
At the conclusion of the first round of betting, a player may now stand pat (hold his or her five original cards) or draw from one to four cards from the stack (after discarding the same number from the hand). Another betting interval follows, beginning with the opener. If a bet is not met, the winner is not required to show his or her hand. When a bet is called, all hands are shown and the best hand wins.
Stud Poker
In stud poker, sometimes called open poker, each player is dealt singly one card down (the hole card) and one card face up. Each player looks at the card he or she has in the hole, but lets it remain face down. The player with the highest card showing starts a betting interval, and when all players have completed their betting, another card is dealt face up. This goes on until each player has four cards showing and one face down. After the final betting interval, the hole cards are exposed and the best hand wins. The many variations of poker include high-low poker, seven-card stud poker, and spit-in-the-ocean.
Bibliography
See A. H. Morehead, The Complete Guide to Winning Poker (1967); A. N. Darling, The Great American Pastime (1970).
Poker
A card game that involves strategy, bluffing, and luck, in which players bet that they hold the highest ranking hand. Although there are many variations, all include betting rounds during which each player can either call (place a bet equal to the current bet), raise (increase the current bet), or fold (forfeit the hand). All bets are placed in a central pot that is awarded to the player with the best combination of cards judged according to a predetermined ranking system.
SoundPoker Says: The great thing about poker is that it is simple enough for anybody to pick up but complicated enough that you can take a lifetime to master. It’s not like other games at the casino that rely completely on luck. Though luck obviously does play an important role, poker is still gambling after all, there is much that separates a good poker player from a bad poker player. This is perhaps what best separates poker from other gambling such as slots or roulette.
See Also: Poker Face, Texas Hold'em
Related Links: This tutorial is designed to give a new player everything he or she needs to know to play a game, rules, card rankings, types of games, and etiquette. Poker 101
Wikipedia
poker
For the domestic fireplace tool, see fireplace poker.
A game of Texas hold'em, the most popular form of poker, in progress.
Poker is a popular skill-based card game in which players with fully or partially concealed cards make wagers into a central pot. The pot is awarded to the player or players with the best combination of cards or to the player who makes an uncalled bet. Poker can also refer to video poker, a single-player game seen in casinos much like a slot machine, or to other games that use poker hand rankings.
Game play
Poker is played in a multitude of variations, but most follow the same basic pattern of play.
The right to deal each hand typically rotates among the players and is marked by a token called a 'dealer' button or buck. In a casino, a house dealer handles the cards for each hand, but a button (typically a white plastic disk) is rotated clockwise among the players to indicate a nominal dealer to determine the order of betting.
For each hand, one or more players are required to make forced bets to create an initial stake for which the players will contest. The dealer shuffles the cards, he cuts, and the appropriate number of cards are dealt to the players one at a time. Cards may be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being played. After the initial deal, the first of what may be several betting rounds begins. Between rounds, the players' hands develop in some way, often by being dealt additional cards or replacing cards previously dealt. At the end of each round, all bets are gathered into the central pot.
At any time during a betting round, if a player makes a bet, opponents are required to fold, call or raise. If one player bets and no opponents choose to match the bet, the hand ends immediately, the bettor is awarded the pot, no cards are required to be shown, and the next hand begins. This possibility of winning a pot without showing a hand makes bluffing possible. Bluffing is a primary feature of poker, one that distinguishes it from other vying games and from other games that make use of poker hand rankings.
At the end of the last betting round, if more than one player remains, there is a showdown, in which the players reveal their previously hidden cards and evaluate their hands. The player with the best hand according to the poker variant being played wins the pot.
The most popular poker variants are as follows:
Draw poker
Players each receive five — as in five-card draw — or more cards, all of which are hidden. They can then replace one or more of these cards a certain number of times.
Stud poker
Players receive cards one at a time, some being displayed to other players at the table. The key difference between stud and 'draw' poker is that players are not allowed to discard or replace any cards.
Community card poker
Players combine individually dealt cards with a number of "community cards" dealt face up and shared by all players. Two or four individual cards may be dealt in the most popular variations, Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em, respectively.
See betting (poker) for detailed rules regarding forced bets, betting actions, limits, stakes, and all-in situations. See List of poker variants and poker hand rankings for order of play and other details for the most common poker variants.
History
The history of poker is a matter of some debate. The name of the game likely descended from the French poque, which descended from the German pochen ('to knock'). Yet it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names. It closely resembles the Persian game of as nas, and may have been taught to French settlers in New Orleans by Persian sailors. It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the Renaissance game of primero and the French brelan. The English game brag (earlier bragg) clearly descended from brelan and incorporated bluffing (though the concept was known in other games by that time). It is quite possible that all of these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now.
English actor Joseph Crowell reported that the game was played in New Orleans in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, four players betting on which player's hand was the most valuable. Jonathan H. Green's book, An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by Mississippi riverboats, on which gambling was a common pastime. As it spread up the Mississippi and West during the gold rush, it is thought to have become a part of the frontier, pioneering ethos.
Harry Truman's poker chips
Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck was used, and the flush was introduced. During the American Civil War, many additions were made, including draw poker, stud poker (the five-card variant), and the straight. Further American developments followed, such as the wild card (around 1875), lowball and split-pot poker (around 1900), and community card poker games (around 1925). The spread of the game to other countries, particularly in Asia, is often attributed to the U.S. military.
The game and jargon of poker have become important parts of American culture and English culture. Such phrases and clichés as ace in the hole, ace up one's sleeve, beats me, blue chip, call one's bluff, cash in, high roller, pass the buck, poker face, stack up, up the ante, when the chips are down, wild card, and others are used in everyday conversation, even by those unaware of their origins at the poker table.
Poker Room at the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Modern tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World Series of Poker began, in 1970. Notable champions from these early WSOP tournaments include Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, and Doyle Brunson. It was also during that decade that the first serious strategy books appeared, notably Super/System by Doyle Brunson (ISBN 1-58042-081-8) and The Book of Tells by Mike Caro (ISBN 0-89746-100-2), followed later by The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky (ISBN 1-880685-00-0).
Poker’s popularity experienced an unprecedented spike in the first years of the 21st century, largely because of the introduction of online poker and the invention of the hole-card camera, which turned the game into a spectator sport. Viewers could now follow the action and drama of the game, and broadcasts of poker tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour brought in huge audiences for cable and satellite TV distributors. Because of the increasing coverage of poker events, poker pros are becoming more and more like celebrities, with poker fans all over the world entering into expensive tournaments for the chance to play with them. This increased camera exposure also brings a new dimension to the poker professional's game—the realization that their actions may be aired later on TV.
Major poker tournament fields have grown dramatically because of the growing popularity of online satellite-qualifier tournaments where the prize is an entry into a major tournament. The 2003 and 2004 WSOP champions, Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, respectively, won their seats to the main event by winning online satellites.
See also
Wikibooks has more about this subject:
Poker
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Poker
Poker jargon
List of poker related topics
Betting (poker)
Rule variations (poker)
List of poker variants
Online poker
SAFE Port Act
Ring games
Poker room/card room
Poker tournament
Poker strategy
World Series of Poker
Poker probability
References
Brunson, Doyle (1979). Doyle Brunson's Super System. Cardoza. ISBN 1-58042-081-8.
Sklansky, David (1989). The Theory of Poker (3rd Ed). Two Plus Two Publications. ISBN 1-880685-00-0.
Vorhaus, John (2002). Killer Poker. Lyle Stuart. ISBN 0-8184-0630-5.
Ernest, James; Selinker, Mike; Foglio, Phil (2005). Dealer's Choice: The Complete Handbook of Saturday Night Poker. Overlook Press. ISBN 1-58567-654-3.
Caro, Mike (1978). Caro's Book of Poker Tells. Cardoza. ISBN 1-58042-082-6.
External links
Poker at the Open Directory Project
Online Poker Room Grants Dream Package
The online poker room Absolute Poker has been building press around its "Absolute Dream Package" and is so happy with the results that it is offering a second go. The Absolute Dream Package was recently won by amateur player Scott Carroll, who will get buy ins to over seven major tournaments paid for by the online poker room. In this fashion Carroll will have access to around $100 million in prize pools by competing at the World Series of Poker and multiple World Poker Tour events. New satellite games have started for the second Dream Package, which will be given away in April.
Young Poker Ace Jeff Madsen On Top at Bay 101 Shooting Stars
Twenty-one year old poker phenom Jeff Madsen is certainly no stranger to the leader board at big name tournaments, first making his mark at the 2006 World Series of Poker where he reached the final table an astounding four times, twice claiming a world champion’s bracelet. Proving it was no fluke, Madsen backed up his improbable run at the WSOP a few months later by finishing third at the WPT Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Now, Madsen finds himself atop another leader board heading into Day 3 of the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars tournament. Starting the day among the leaders with 174,200 in chips, Madsen was the first to cross the half million mark after flopping a set of aces. Only moments later, he eliminated last year’s Bay 101 champ, Nam Le, and went on to finish the day with 706,000 in chips.
While Madsen might be top of the class, just behind him is poker’s favorite class clown and prop bet superhero from last year’s WSOP, Joe Sebok, who is stacked at 603,000. Other notable players still in contention include JJ Liu (431,000), Bill Edler (357,500), and Team Bodog pro David Williams (207,500).
Madsen and Williams, along with the last remaining female, JJ Liu, and the short-stacked Erik Seidel, are the only four "Shooting Stars" left in the tournament.
If you’re looking to get in some online poker tournament action, check out the Bodog Poker Schedule for the time and buy-in that’s right for you.
While Madsen might be top of the class, just behind him is poker’s favorite class clown and prop bet superhero from last year’s WSOP, Joe Sebok, who is stacked at 603,000. Other notable players still in contention include JJ Liu (431,000), Bill Edler (357,500), and Team Bodog pro David Williams (207,500).
Madsen and Williams, along with the last remaining female, JJ Liu, and the short-stacked Erik Seidel, are the only four "Shooting Stars" left in the tournament.
If you’re looking to get in some online poker tournament action, check out the Bodog Poker Schedule for the time and buy-in that’s right for you.
Full Tilt Poker Launches Main Event Mania
With the Main Event of the World Series of Poker set to begin in less than four months, many sites have developed a multitude of ways for their players to win their way in to what could be the largest live poker event in history. When the Main Event starts on Friday, July 6, 2007, at 12:00 noon Pacific Time, many seated in the Amazon Room at the Rio will have qualified through Full Tilt Poker, which has several promotions for those wanting to qualify for the Main Event. Capped off by the $10 Million Main Event Mania, winning your way into the Main Event has never been easier.
Full Tilt is offering an additional $10 million to anyone who qualified on its site that wins the Main Event. Not a bad deal – Take down millions of dollars and then get an additional $10 million just for qualifying on Full Tilt. This is the third straight year that Full Tilt has offered this promotion. Last year’s winner, Jamie Gold, was associated with Bodog and the previous three winners – Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, and Joe Hachem (pictured at right) – all were affiliated with PokerStars.
Three nights per week, Full Tilt offers guaranteed WSOP seat tournaments. On Tuesdays at 9:00pm ET, two seats are guaranteed in a $322 buy-in tournament. On Thursdays at 9:00pm ET, five seats are guaranteed in a $1,060 buy-in tournament. Finally, on Sundays at 9:00pm ET, two seats are guaranteed in a $216 buy-in tournament. Satellites for all of these guaranteed tournaments start at $4.40 or 50 Full Tilt Points.
Want to freeroll your way in? Here is Full Tilt’s solution for you: “Just earn a minimum of 3,000 Full Tilt Points in any qualifying week and you'll be eligible to play in a weekly freeroll tournament where we'll give away at least two completely free $10,000 WSOP Main Event seats. Qualifying weeks for these free tournaments will begin every Thursday and end every Wednesday between March 1st and June 20th. The weekly freeroll tournaments will be held at 4:30pm ET each Sunday [until] June 24th.”
Several players will win multiple seats into the Main Event and Full Tilt will offer $12,000 in cash for each seat won beyond the first. In addition, the player who wins the most total $12,000 packages will be crowned “King of the WSOP.” According to Full Tilt’s website, the King of the WSOP will receive (in addition to many dollars in cash from their winnings): “A crown on the avatar of your choice, first-class round-trip airfare from anywhere in the United States, limo service to and from your hotel and McCarran Airport, and a free suite at the Rio or at an equivalent hotel.” If anyone wins more than five Main Event seats (the number won by last year’s champ, Azimut), Full Tilt will toss in an additional $25,000.
So check out Full Tilt when you’re plotting how to qualify for the WSOP. Last year, nearly 9,000 poker hopefuls battled it out in Las Vegas. Don’t miss out on your chance. Visit Full Tilt Poker for more details.
Full Tilt is offering an additional $10 million to anyone who qualified on its site that wins the Main Event. Not a bad deal – Take down millions of dollars and then get an additional $10 million just for qualifying on Full Tilt. This is the third straight year that Full Tilt has offered this promotion. Last year’s winner, Jamie Gold, was associated with Bodog and the previous three winners – Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, and Joe Hachem (pictured at right) – all were affiliated with PokerStars.
Three nights per week, Full Tilt offers guaranteed WSOP seat tournaments. On Tuesdays at 9:00pm ET, two seats are guaranteed in a $322 buy-in tournament. On Thursdays at 9:00pm ET, five seats are guaranteed in a $1,060 buy-in tournament. Finally, on Sundays at 9:00pm ET, two seats are guaranteed in a $216 buy-in tournament. Satellites for all of these guaranteed tournaments start at $4.40 or 50 Full Tilt Points.
Want to freeroll your way in? Here is Full Tilt’s solution for you: “Just earn a minimum of 3,000 Full Tilt Points in any qualifying week and you'll be eligible to play in a weekly freeroll tournament where we'll give away at least two completely free $10,000 WSOP Main Event seats. Qualifying weeks for these free tournaments will begin every Thursday and end every Wednesday between March 1st and June 20th. The weekly freeroll tournaments will be held at 4:30pm ET each Sunday [until] June 24th.”
Several players will win multiple seats into the Main Event and Full Tilt will offer $12,000 in cash for each seat won beyond the first. In addition, the player who wins the most total $12,000 packages will be crowned “King of the WSOP.” According to Full Tilt’s website, the King of the WSOP will receive (in addition to many dollars in cash from their winnings): “A crown on the avatar of your choice, first-class round-trip airfare from anywhere in the United States, limo service to and from your hotel and McCarran Airport, and a free suite at the Rio or at an equivalent hotel.” If anyone wins more than five Main Event seats (the number won by last year’s champ, Azimut), Full Tilt will toss in an additional $25,000.
So check out Full Tilt when you’re plotting how to qualify for the WSOP. Last year, nearly 9,000 poker hopefuls battled it out in Las Vegas. Don’t miss out on your chance. Visit Full Tilt Poker for more details.
The Poker Shrink, Vol 32 - Luck or Variance? Magic or Math?
Just how much luck is there is poker? I have stood with some of the biggest names in poker and heard them toss out numbers like 50% or 10%. More complicated answers often sound like "90% short term but only 5% long term" or "a lot more today with all the donkeys in the game". But not once have I heard any of the great players, or average players or even a single Friday night fish give the only, the one and only correct answer to this question. So what is this ultimate answer? There is no such thing as luck in poker! There is variability and variance but you know and I mean you know that over time it all evens out; you know you want the donkey calls all day, every day;
even though a four-outer on the river will sometimes knock you out of a tournament. From a psychological perspective I want to argue that any belief in luck is detrimental to your bankroll and to your ability to play your "A" game. Before I make my argument, let's take an example of what some call luck or bad luck and what should be correctly identified as variance. You know what variance is right? I quote Mike Caro: "A measure of the spread of a statistical distribution about its mean or center. With respect to poker, the distribution of your results over a set of hands or sessions, or the swings in a positive or negative direction of cash flow. The greater the variance, the wilder the swings; the lower the variance, the more likely a given session results will be close to one's average result." Now if you play perfect statistical poker then your variance will be based on the times that the "odds" or the "distribution of results" go against you. Or what some would call "bad luck" for you and "good luck" for your opponent. Now to our example: You and one opponent are all-in on the turn, the cards are turned over, you are ahead and your opponent has four outs. What does this mean statistically? Well in a 52 card deck you can see 8 cards (4 on the board and 2 each in 2 hands), so there are 44 unseen cards and 4 of them win for your opponent and lose for you. Statistically you will win 40 times out of 44 or 10 out of 11 times. So no reasonable person should disagree that on average 1 time in 11 they will lose in this situation. Ask any good poker player if they are willing to risk their tournament on a 10 to 1 draw and they will say: "Yes!" Every single time. The question is simple, do you say yes to this propostion every single time? If you do then you understand variance and you reject the fuzzy logic of luck. Furthermore, you understand that sitting down at a poker table engages you in a game that is, in fact, gambling and you are doing this voluntarily. Now the question arises: Why does a belief in luck have a negative effect on my game? The leak in your game occurs not when you are unlucky (when the statistical variance goes against you) but when you are lucky (when you are the donkey needing the 4 outer or the runner, runner diamonds). You hit your miracle card and you think: "I got so lucky!" Wrong! You got your chips in with the worst of it, you risked your tournament on a 1 in 10 play but because you think "lucky" you do not do the analysis of "Why did I do that?" You don't learn from your mistakes, instead to write off your tournament survival to "Luck." Tell the truth, do you analyize only the hand you bust out on or do you look carefully as the hands where you got "lucky"? If we truly learn from our mistakes then improving our game must include admitting our mistakes and taking a look at them. Don't blame your losses on luck, it was variance. Don't credit your suckouts to luck but rather take a good, long hard look at how you tempted variance and learn not to do that. Get it in 10 to 1 not the other way around.
even though a four-outer on the river will sometimes knock you out of a tournament. From a psychological perspective I want to argue that any belief in luck is detrimental to your bankroll and to your ability to play your "A" game. Before I make my argument, let's take an example of what some call luck or bad luck and what should be correctly identified as variance. You know what variance is right? I quote Mike Caro: "A measure of the spread of a statistical distribution about its mean or center. With respect to poker, the distribution of your results over a set of hands or sessions, or the swings in a positive or negative direction of cash flow. The greater the variance, the wilder the swings; the lower the variance, the more likely a given session results will be close to one's average result." Now if you play perfect statistical poker then your variance will be based on the times that the "odds" or the "distribution of results" go against you. Or what some would call "bad luck" for you and "good luck" for your opponent. Now to our example: You and one opponent are all-in on the turn, the cards are turned over, you are ahead and your opponent has four outs. What does this mean statistically? Well in a 52 card deck you can see 8 cards (4 on the board and 2 each in 2 hands), so there are 44 unseen cards and 4 of them win for your opponent and lose for you. Statistically you will win 40 times out of 44 or 10 out of 11 times. So no reasonable person should disagree that on average 1 time in 11 they will lose in this situation. Ask any good poker player if they are willing to risk their tournament on a 10 to 1 draw and they will say: "Yes!" Every single time. The question is simple, do you say yes to this propostion every single time? If you do then you understand variance and you reject the fuzzy logic of luck. Furthermore, you understand that sitting down at a poker table engages you in a game that is, in fact, gambling and you are doing this voluntarily. Now the question arises: Why does a belief in luck have a negative effect on my game? The leak in your game occurs not when you are unlucky (when the statistical variance goes against you) but when you are lucky (when you are the donkey needing the 4 outer or the runner, runner diamonds). You hit your miracle card and you think: "I got so lucky!" Wrong! You got your chips in with the worst of it, you risked your tournament on a 1 in 10 play but because you think "lucky" you do not do the analysis of "Why did I do that?" You don't learn from your mistakes, instead to write off your tournament survival to "Luck." Tell the truth, do you analyize only the hand you bust out on or do you look carefully as the hands where you got "lucky"? If we truly learn from our mistakes then improving our game must include admitting our mistakes and taking a look at them. Don't blame your losses on luck, it was variance. Don't credit your suckouts to luck but rather take a good, long hard look at how you tempted variance and learn not to do that. Get it in 10 to 1 not the other way around.
Satellite Poker Tournaments
One of the more popular online poker tournaments is the satellite tournament. Online satellite poker tournaments are actually mini-tournaments that get you into a bigger poker tournament. The buy-in is much smaller in the satellite than the big tournament and that is the main reason that people want to play these events. Many of the satellite poker tournaments offer great value and give the average player a chance to get into the big marquee tournament.What do you need to know when playing in a satellite poker tournament?The first thing you need to be aware of is that these tournaments take a lot of time to play. You are not going to be done in just an hour or so. Many of these tournaments can take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours to complete. You should also know that you are probably not going to win these tournaments. For the average player your chances of winning the tournament are probably 100-1 or more. Even good players have chances that are not very good. It is not easy to win a big poker tournament even if you are a great poker player. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play, it is just something to be aware of.How do you improve your chances for winning one of these satellite poker tournaments? The first tip is to be aggressive. You just can’t sit back and wait very long. You don’t have to immediately take chances in the early rounds but you must take chances somewhere. The reason you have to take a shot and be aggressive is that to win one of these events you have to get a stack big enough to survive. Some players are going to play very carefully trying to survive, while others will be taking huge chances in these tournaments. Identifying these types of players is very important to you. You also want to remember that the bigger your stack, the more power you have over the table. The big stack wields power and you must get one to have a realistic chance to win.You also want to remember that some of these satellite poker tournaments will be re-buy tournaments and those are different in the sense that players take a lot more chances. So many players go all-in trying for the big stacks. If you are in one of these tourneys remember that you have to take more chances because the stacks at the end are going to be larger because of all the re-buys. Remember some of these points the next time you play in an online satellite poker tournament. Set aside enough time to play, remember to be aggressive and identify the types of players you encounter at the table. These things should help your chances to win.
Metro police linked to poker club?
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is conducting an internal investigation to determine if any of its officers might be linked to a Northeastside poker club that was shut down this week.
Sgt. Matthew Mount said the internal affairs branch has been investigating for more than a week allegations that IMPD officers played poker or worked security for the Indianapolis Pinnacle Club, 3936 Pendleton Way.
"We are extremely interested in any information regarding any IMPD officers who may be involved in any illegal clubs or visiting any illegal gaming establishments," Mount said this morning. "If we find out that they are, we will turn that information over to the prosecutors and take decisive action within the department."
An Indiana State Police officer was placed on desk duty Wednesday after he was cited in connection with a raid on the club.
Trooper Kyle D. Freeman, 30, a seven-year veteran assigned to the Indianapolis post, faces a preliminary charge of illegal gambling, a misdemeanor. He was among 60 people who police said were playing poker Tuesday when Indianapolis metropolitan police vice officers shut down the Indianapolis Pinnacle Club.
An internal investigation will be conducted, 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten, a State Police spokesman, said in a written statement.
Freeman is a canine officer whose dog, Dudley, is named in honor of Lt. Gary Dudley, one of two riders killed last year when a truck crashed into a group of bicyclists in western Indiana. Dudley and the other cyclists were raising money for a charity that supports the families of fallen officers.
Freeman could not be reached for comment.
The 60 poker players, including Freeman, were issued a court summons and face preliminary charges of misdemeanor illegal gambling.
The players were men and women ages 18 to 70 who live in Marion, Hancock, Morgan and Hamilton counties, police said. Police did not release the names of the other players Wednesday.
Police arrested three men they said were running the games -- Ryan Roe, 36, Donald Kincaid, 65, and Richard Harvey, 28 -- on felony charges of illegal gambling.
Kincaid faces an additional charge of carrying a handgun without a license after officers found the weapon in his boot, police said. Harvey was arrested on a warrant charging him with contempt of civil court.
The raid was the culmination of a yearlong investigation, police said. Officers seized about $6,000 from the establishment, in addition to poker chips, computers, flat-screen monitors and other gambling paraphernalia. Police said it appears the poker club ran games seven days a week.
The building is south of Pendleton Pike and west of I-465 on the Northeastside.
Wally Shearer, 48, a car dealer who describes himself as a semi-professional poker player, said he is a regular at the Pinnacle Club and other area poker rooms. Shearer was not in the club Tuesday, he said, because the $25 buy-in tournament running that night was too small for him.
"There's hundreds of players in Indianapolis who want to play tournament poker," Shearer said. "I've been going there for about two years and never had a problem."
Sgt. Matthew Mount said the internal affairs branch has been investigating for more than a week allegations that IMPD officers played poker or worked security for the Indianapolis Pinnacle Club, 3936 Pendleton Way.
"We are extremely interested in any information regarding any IMPD officers who may be involved in any illegal clubs or visiting any illegal gaming establishments," Mount said this morning. "If we find out that they are, we will turn that information over to the prosecutors and take decisive action within the department."
An Indiana State Police officer was placed on desk duty Wednesday after he was cited in connection with a raid on the club.
Trooper Kyle D. Freeman, 30, a seven-year veteran assigned to the Indianapolis post, faces a preliminary charge of illegal gambling, a misdemeanor. He was among 60 people who police said were playing poker Tuesday when Indianapolis metropolitan police vice officers shut down the Indianapolis Pinnacle Club.
An internal investigation will be conducted, 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten, a State Police spokesman, said in a written statement.
Freeman is a canine officer whose dog, Dudley, is named in honor of Lt. Gary Dudley, one of two riders killed last year when a truck crashed into a group of bicyclists in western Indiana. Dudley and the other cyclists were raising money for a charity that supports the families of fallen officers.
Freeman could not be reached for comment.
The 60 poker players, including Freeman, were issued a court summons and face preliminary charges of misdemeanor illegal gambling.
The players were men and women ages 18 to 70 who live in Marion, Hancock, Morgan and Hamilton counties, police said. Police did not release the names of the other players Wednesday.
Police arrested three men they said were running the games -- Ryan Roe, 36, Donald Kincaid, 65, and Richard Harvey, 28 -- on felony charges of illegal gambling.
Kincaid faces an additional charge of carrying a handgun without a license after officers found the weapon in his boot, police said. Harvey was arrested on a warrant charging him with contempt of civil court.
The raid was the culmination of a yearlong investigation, police said. Officers seized about $6,000 from the establishment, in addition to poker chips, computers, flat-screen monitors and other gambling paraphernalia. Police said it appears the poker club ran games seven days a week.
The building is south of Pendleton Pike and west of I-465 on the Northeastside.
Wally Shearer, 48, a car dealer who describes himself as a semi-professional poker player, said he is a regular at the Pinnacle Club and other area poker rooms. Shearer was not in the club Tuesday, he said, because the $25 buy-in tournament running that night was too small for him.
"There's hundreds of players in Indianapolis who want to play tournament poker," Shearer said. "I've been going there for about two years and never had a problem."
Everest Poker Player Christiano Blanco Wins Second Place at the EPT in Dortmund
The online poker room sent Blanco to his first-ever live EPT event, where he placed second after a heated competition, walking away with €380,000.
Montreal, Quebec (PRWEB) March 15, 2007 -- Everest Poker http://www.everestpoker.com is celebrating after one of the online poker room's players, Christiano Blanco came second at the Dortmund edition of the European Poker Tour.
Italian poker player Christiano originally qualified for the live poker tournament in Dortmund by winning a $100 + 9 EPT Winners Choice online satellite on http://www.everestpoker.com. His second place win at the EPT in Dortmund earned him €380,000 behind first place winner Andreas Hoivold from Norway.
Christiano has been playing on Everest Poker for seven months, but it was the first time he had played at an EPT live event. Having perfected his poker skills on one of Europe's most popular poker rooms, Christiano was able to pit his wits against some of the finest poker players in Europe.
With an estimated 30,000 players connected simultaneously every day, Everest Poker has become the poker room of choice for players in search of a site which is passionate about the game and its players.
Congratulations to Christiano Blanco!
For more information about Everest Poker tournaments and to play poker free online, download the free Everest Poker software from http://www.everestpoker.com/dload. Tournament schedules are available through RSS and XML feeds at http://www.everestpoker.com/tournament/current-schedule.html.
About Everest PokerEverestpoker.com is the first site dedicated to the international poker playing community. Recognizing the many non-English speaking poker enthusiasts around the world, Everest Poker has built the only poker software fully localized in 11 different languages. In addition, Everestpoker.com offers poker players customer support in 15 languages, and is involved with local poker initiatives through partnerships and participation in national, European and worldwide tournaments. Everest Poker is owned by Ultra Internet Media. For more information, please visit: www.everestpoker.com.
Montreal, Quebec (PRWEB) March 15, 2007 -- Everest Poker http://www.everestpoker.com is celebrating after one of the online poker room's players, Christiano Blanco came second at the Dortmund edition of the European Poker Tour.
Italian poker player Christiano originally qualified for the live poker tournament in Dortmund by winning a $100 + 9 EPT Winners Choice online satellite on http://www.everestpoker.com. His second place win at the EPT in Dortmund earned him €380,000 behind first place winner Andreas Hoivold from Norway.
Christiano has been playing on Everest Poker for seven months, but it was the first time he had played at an EPT live event. Having perfected his poker skills on one of Europe's most popular poker rooms, Christiano was able to pit his wits against some of the finest poker players in Europe.
With an estimated 30,000 players connected simultaneously every day, Everest Poker has become the poker room of choice for players in search of a site which is passionate about the game and its players.
Congratulations to Christiano Blanco!
For more information about Everest Poker tournaments and to play poker free online, download the free Everest Poker software from http://www.everestpoker.com/dload. Tournament schedules are available through RSS and XML feeds at http://www.everestpoker.com/tournament/current-schedule.html.
About Everest PokerEverestpoker.com is the first site dedicated to the international poker playing community. Recognizing the many non-English speaking poker enthusiasts around the world, Everest Poker has built the only poker software fully localized in 11 different languages. In addition, Everestpoker.com offers poker players customer support in 15 languages, and is involved with local poker initiatives through partnerships and participation in national, European and worldwide tournaments. Everest Poker is owned by Ultra Internet Media. For more information, please visit: www.everestpoker.com.
Dynasty Gaming Contracts To Introduce Gametronix Poker and Gaming Terminals To Asian Network
MONTREAL, March 15 /CNW/ - Dynasty Gaming Inc. (TSXV: DNY) (OTCBB: DNYFF - News) today announced the signing of a Letter of Intent with the Quebec-based parent company of Gametronix Systems Inc. ("Gametronix"). Under this agreement, Dynasty will earn fees or royalties for assisting Gametronix to successfully commercialize its different types of gaming terminals and its dealer-less poker table, branded as "Pokermate", within various markets. Dynasty's assistance will take the form primarily of introductions to Dynasty's network of gaming operators, as well as various owner/operators of Internet gaming sites.
Albert Barbusci, chief executive of Dynasty, stated, "We believe Gametronix has developed a number of gaming products that could be very successful. By providing Gametronix with introductions to some of the important gaming operators with whom Dynasty has relationships, we may be able to generate an additional stream of income."
Gametronix Systems president, David Baazov, said, "We recognize the impressive and valuable network of relationships Dynasty has established in the gaming industry. By accessing these links, through this arrangement with Dynasty, we are hopeful of accelerating the introduction and launch of our terminals and gaming products."
The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this news release.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the Corporation. These forward-looking statements, by their nature, involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated. We consider the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based to be reasonable, but caution the reader that these assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond our control, may ultimately prove to be incorrect.
About Dynasty Gaming Inc.
Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Dynasty Gaming is aggressively pursuing agreements with major companies in the People's Republic of China for the development, marketing and distribution of government-approved online applications for its proprietary Mahjong software. Success to date includes the establishment of a relationship with Beijing Junnet Science and Technology Company Limited (http://www.junnet.cn/), one of the largest prepaid card distributors in China, for the marketing and distribution of prepaid cards for accessing a play-for-points version of Mahjong on sites in China. Dynasty has also entered into a formal agreement with Sohu.com Inc. (http://www.sohu.com/), one of China's most widely used interactive online sources for information, entertainment and communications incorporating a leading portal with more than 100 million registered users.
Dynasty's relationship with Sun Media Investment Holdings ltd. (http://www.chinasunmedia.com/), China's largest privately owned multi-media provider, represents a powerful channel through which to create enhanced awareness of an online version of Mahjong, a national sport in China. Agreements also exist with Betex (http://www.betexgroup.plc.uk/) covering sports lotteries and SSI (http://www.sino.com/) covering welfare lotteries, which further expand the range of distribution channels through which Dynasty-sourced content will be marketed and managed in China. An agreement with Las Vegas From Home.com Entertainment Inc. (http://www.lvfh.com/) allows Dynasty to provide all of its marketing channel partners with its own Mahjong game together with LVFH's full suite of popular Asian-style specialty games. Commencement of multi-site online play of mahjong in China is expected to begin on April 1, 2007. Competition for seats at a World Cup of Mahjong event, scheduled for June 2007 in Macau, PRC, will serve as an incentive for a large universe of players.
Dynasty Gaming's 91.7 million common shares, issued and outstanding, are widely held by Canadian and U.S. investors. Full information on Dynasty Gaming can be found at http://www.dynastygaming.com/.
For further information
Dynasty Gaming Inc. Albert Barbusci, 514-288-0900 Ext. 224 or Alliance Advisors, LLC Thomas Walsh, 646-415-8321 or Gametronix Systems Inc. David Baazov, 514-744-3122 x 105
Albert Barbusci, chief executive of Dynasty, stated, "We believe Gametronix has developed a number of gaming products that could be very successful. By providing Gametronix with introductions to some of the important gaming operators with whom Dynasty has relationships, we may be able to generate an additional stream of income."
Gametronix Systems president, David Baazov, said, "We recognize the impressive and valuable network of relationships Dynasty has established in the gaming industry. By accessing these links, through this arrangement with Dynasty, we are hopeful of accelerating the introduction and launch of our terminals and gaming products."
The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this news release.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the Corporation. These forward-looking statements, by their nature, involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated. We consider the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based to be reasonable, but caution the reader that these assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond our control, may ultimately prove to be incorrect.
About Dynasty Gaming Inc.
Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Dynasty Gaming is aggressively pursuing agreements with major companies in the People's Republic of China for the development, marketing and distribution of government-approved online applications for its proprietary Mahjong software. Success to date includes the establishment of a relationship with Beijing Junnet Science and Technology Company Limited (http://www.junnet.cn/), one of the largest prepaid card distributors in China, for the marketing and distribution of prepaid cards for accessing a play-for-points version of Mahjong on sites in China. Dynasty has also entered into a formal agreement with Sohu.com Inc. (http://www.sohu.com/), one of China's most widely used interactive online sources for information, entertainment and communications incorporating a leading portal with more than 100 million registered users.
Dynasty's relationship with Sun Media Investment Holdings ltd. (http://www.chinasunmedia.com/), China's largest privately owned multi-media provider, represents a powerful channel through which to create enhanced awareness of an online version of Mahjong, a national sport in China. Agreements also exist with Betex (http://www.betexgroup.plc.uk/) covering sports lotteries and SSI (http://www.sino.com/) covering welfare lotteries, which further expand the range of distribution channels through which Dynasty-sourced content will be marketed and managed in China. An agreement with Las Vegas From Home.com Entertainment Inc. (http://www.lvfh.com/) allows Dynasty to provide all of its marketing channel partners with its own Mahjong game together with LVFH's full suite of popular Asian-style specialty games. Commencement of multi-site online play of mahjong in China is expected to begin on April 1, 2007. Competition for seats at a World Cup of Mahjong event, scheduled for June 2007 in Macau, PRC, will serve as an incentive for a large universe of players.
Dynasty Gaming's 91.7 million common shares, issued and outstanding, are widely held by Canadian and U.S. investors. Full information on Dynasty Gaming can be found at http://www.dynastygaming.com/.
For further information
Dynasty Gaming Inc. Albert Barbusci, 514-288-0900 Ext. 224 or Alliance Advisors, LLC Thomas Walsh, 646-415-8321 or Gametronix Systems Inc. David Baazov, 514-744-3122 x 105
No bluff: Poker club is busted
An Indiana State Police officer was placed on desk duty Wednesday after he was cited in connection with a raid on a Northeastside poker club.
EARLIER INCIDENT
The Pinnacle Club was the target of an armed robbery last week.Two men, one armed with an Uzi-style automatic handgun, robbed the club about 3:30 a.m. March 6, according to a police report. The armed man struck club owner Ryan Roe in the face with the gun, police said.The robbers got away with $11,700, police said.
Trooper Kyle D. Freeman, 30, a seven-year veteran assigned to the Indianapolis post, faces a preliminary charge of illegal gambling, a misdemeanor. He was among 60 people who police said were playing poker Tuesday when Indianapolis metropolitan police vice officers shut down the Indianapolis Pinnacle Club in the 3900 block of Pendleton Way.
An internal investigation will be conducted, 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten, a State Police spokesman, said in a written statement.
Freeman is a canine officer whose dog, Dudley, is named in honor of Lt. Gary Dudley, one of two riders killed last year when a truck crashed into a group of bicyclists in western Indiana. Dudley and the other cyclists were raising money for a charity that supports the families of fallen officers.
Freeman could not be reached for comment.
The 60 poker players, including Freeman, were issued a court summons and face preliminary charges of misdemeanor illegal gambling.
The players were men and women ages 18 to 70 who live in Marion, Hancock, Morgan and Hamilton counties, police said. Police did not release the names of the other players Wednesday.
Police arrested three men they said were running the games -- Ryan Roe, 36, Donald Kincaid, 65, and Richard Harvey, 28 -- on felony charges of illegal gambling.
Kincaid faces an additional charge of carrying a handgun without a license after officers found the weapon in his boot, police said. Harvey was arrested on a warrant charging him with contempt of civil court.
The raid was the culmination of a yearlong investigation, police said. Officers seized about $6,000 from the establishment, in addition to poker chips, computers, flat-screen monitors and other gambling paraphernalia. Police said it appears the poker club ran games seven days a week.
The building is south of Pendleton Pike and west of I-465 on the Northeastside.
Wally Shearer, 48, a car dealer who describes himself as a semi-professional poker player, said he is a regular at the Pinnacle Club and other area poker rooms. Shearer was not in the club Tuesday, he said, because the $25 buy-in tournament running that night was too small for him.
"There's hundreds of players in Indianapolis who want to play tournament poker," Shearer said. "I've been going there for about two years and never had a problem."
Shearer does not know Freeman but said he knows at least three other local police officers who regularly played at the Pinnacle Club. Shearer declined to give their names.
Lt. Doug Scheffel, a spokesman for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, said he is not aware of any other officers linked to the investigation.
EARLIER INCIDENT
The Pinnacle Club was the target of an armed robbery last week.Two men, one armed with an Uzi-style automatic handgun, robbed the club about 3:30 a.m. March 6, according to a police report. The armed man struck club owner Ryan Roe in the face with the gun, police said.The robbers got away with $11,700, police said.
Trooper Kyle D. Freeman, 30, a seven-year veteran assigned to the Indianapolis post, faces a preliminary charge of illegal gambling, a misdemeanor. He was among 60 people who police said were playing poker Tuesday when Indianapolis metropolitan police vice officers shut down the Indianapolis Pinnacle Club in the 3900 block of Pendleton Way.
An internal investigation will be conducted, 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten, a State Police spokesman, said in a written statement.
Freeman is a canine officer whose dog, Dudley, is named in honor of Lt. Gary Dudley, one of two riders killed last year when a truck crashed into a group of bicyclists in western Indiana. Dudley and the other cyclists were raising money for a charity that supports the families of fallen officers.
Freeman could not be reached for comment.
The 60 poker players, including Freeman, were issued a court summons and face preliminary charges of misdemeanor illegal gambling.
The players were men and women ages 18 to 70 who live in Marion, Hancock, Morgan and Hamilton counties, police said. Police did not release the names of the other players Wednesday.
Police arrested three men they said were running the games -- Ryan Roe, 36, Donald Kincaid, 65, and Richard Harvey, 28 -- on felony charges of illegal gambling.
Kincaid faces an additional charge of carrying a handgun without a license after officers found the weapon in his boot, police said. Harvey was arrested on a warrant charging him with contempt of civil court.
The raid was the culmination of a yearlong investigation, police said. Officers seized about $6,000 from the establishment, in addition to poker chips, computers, flat-screen monitors and other gambling paraphernalia. Police said it appears the poker club ran games seven days a week.
The building is south of Pendleton Pike and west of I-465 on the Northeastside.
Wally Shearer, 48, a car dealer who describes himself as a semi-professional poker player, said he is a regular at the Pinnacle Club and other area poker rooms. Shearer was not in the club Tuesday, he said, because the $25 buy-in tournament running that night was too small for him.
"There's hundreds of players in Indianapolis who want to play tournament poker," Shearer said. "I've been going there for about two years and never had a problem."
Shearer does not know Freeman but said he knows at least three other local police officers who regularly played at the Pinnacle Club. Shearer declined to give their names.
Lt. Doug Scheffel, a spokesman for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, said he is not aware of any other officers linked to the investigation.
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