“TALK” “TALK”

Transcription

“TALK” “TALK”

9
Celebrity Crossword PAGE
tribute to
Jennifer Harman
12
38
14
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20
PartyPoker V Rocks PAGE
Around the Clock
with Wendeen Eolis!
PAGE
Entertainment
Best Bets
9
44
POKER PLAYER
Vol. 9 Number 21 April 17, 2006 A Gambling Times Publication www.pokerplayernewspaper.com Copyright ©2006 Bi-Weekly $3.95 USA/$4.95 CANADA
Daneshgar Foxwoods
Wins 2-Day Poker Classic
Final at Bike’s Underway
Winnin ’O’ The Green
By Max Shapiro
David Daneshgar and David
“The Dragon” Pham chased
each other for the chip lead at
David Daneshgar of Westlake Village, CA
takes home $198,000 in 2-day final event.
the final table of the 2006 Winnin’ o’ the
Green championship event. At the final bell,
Daneshgar, a semi-pro, had a slight lead, and they
chopped the prize pool, ending nearly five hours of
play. Because day 1 ended with only 33 players left, this became a two-day rather
than a three-day event.
David Daneshgar is a venture capitalist and a part-time poker player. (Continued on page 10)
As we go to press with
this issue, five of the
9 events in the Annual
Foxwoods Poker Classic
tournament have been
completed. Among others,
the tournament features a
WPT evnet that will end on
(Continued on page 14)
Kathy Raymond Departs
Connecticut for Las
Vegas as Director of
Poker Operations at
The Venetian
SOK event 1 winner Mayen
Grigorian, $60K richer!
A Word from the
“Mad Genius,”
Mike Caro
Today’s word is...
By Debbie Burkhead
Can Las Vegas support another major
poker room?
The former Director of Poker Operations
of Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut believes
it can. Raymond has
“TALK”
Turn to page 6 for more
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April 9th. Results of future
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was already three events
into its 12-event gauntlet
when we put this issue to
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A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
5
Caro’s Word: “Talk”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
W
henever I’m seated
at a poker table, one
of my main missions is to make my
opponents feel comfortable
with me. I believe the more
they enjoy my presence, the
more money I’ll make.
I’m sure that sounds alien
to some players who try to
win by antagonizing opponents. Let me tell you what
I think is wrong with doing
that. It’s true that in the short
term an irritated opponent
might go on tilt and give
you a few bad calls out of
frustration. But the longrange result of antagonizing
opponents is that they might
stop selecting you as preferred person to enter pots
against. If you try to humiliate or ridicule them for playing weak hands, they often
find it unpleasant to play
against you.
So, what happens then?
Well, then they decide
that they’re going to target
their fun and frivolous play
toward those who will giggle and enjoy the adventure
along with them. This means
that if you ridicule weak
opponents, you’re likely to
be left out often when they
willing choose to redistribute
their chips about the table.
Most weak opponents are
playing for the enjoyment
of poker. They play poorly,
but if you’re not friendly
they’ll decide you’re no fun
– and they’ll be much more
likely to play weakly against
someone else. You see,
these players have money to
spend, but they also get to
choose where to spend it.
Invitation
By being friendly, sometimes whimsically weird,
and giggling, I invite weak
opponents into my pots.
So, I have the luxury of
effectively playing in a
weaker game than a serious but obnoxious player at
the same table! You heard
it right – we’re in the same
game, but my “table” is
easier to beat. Go figure.
I like to playfully talk
opponents in and out of pots,
depending on what works
best for me at the moment.
I’m good at it. But I try not
to make the game unpleasant
– ever. If I’m not involved
in a pot, usually I won’t say
anything about it. Let the
opponents competing for
that pot talk to each other.
That’s my philosophy. And
never be rude to weak opponents.
There are other types of
players who like to talk at
the table, but frequently
what they say isn’t focused.
It’s almost random luck
whether what they say helps
or harms their bankroll. But
even worse than random
chatter is something I’m
going to talk about today.
This is a short, old lecture I
gave about how some players talk themselves out of
the money. Here it is…
possible images you can
convey to weak opponents is
concentration?
Bad poker talk
Listen. You want weak
opponents to feel comfortable giggling and playing
badly. One thing that will
make them self conscious
and bring their party to a
halt is if you make them
think you’re taking poker
too seriously. The best image
for extracting the most profit
is to seem in sync with their
carefree behavior. Giggle
and have fun.
But most of all, don’t
do the one thing that kills
games and eliminates profit.
That one thing is analyzing
hands at the table. Sadly,
I’ve seen plenty of times
where a smug, smart, alert
would-be professional sits
down in a game that is like
a candy store with mostly
weak, happy players and
destroys the mood within
minutes. All it takes is for
him to start talking shop
with another professional.
“You shouldn’t have raised,
because there’s a thirty
percent chance, yak, yak,
yak…”
Meanwhile, the very fact
that they’re discussing this
costs them and every other
serious player at the table
hundreds of dollars or more.
Why? Because by discussing
strategy seriously, they’re
alerting carefree opponents
that there really is serious
strategy. This often makes
Sure, I talk a lot about strategy and statistics. In fact,
I’ve spent a good share of
my life programming computers to play poker and to
analyze data. This means
the answers we share that
are based on that research
are better than anything else
you’ll get anywhere else.
Period. End of story.
Fine. But there’s more to
poker than mathematics and
impersonal strategy. I teach
that once you’ve mastered
the basics of winning poker,
most of your profit will
come from psychological
aspects.
That’s why I wrote the
Book of Tells – the Body
Language of Poker. And
that’s why I spend so much
time teaching tells, manipulation, and image. Let me
give you a clue about image
right now.
Once you know something about poker that others
don’t know, you’re proud
and it’s only natural to
want to let them know how
great you are. That’s why
so many otherwise skillful
poker players sit at the table
looking alert and superior
and making sure everyone
knows that they’re concentrating. Hey, wait! You don’t
want to look like you’re
concentrating. Did you
know, that one of the worst
Carefree behavior
POKER PLAYER
A Gambling Times Publication
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Contributing
Columnists
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George Epstein
“Oklahoma Johnny” Hale
Ashley Adams
Diane McHaffie
James McKenna
I. Nelson Rose
John Vorhaus
Poker Player will be published Bi-Weekly
by Gambling Times Incorporated,
Stanley R. Sludikoff, President.
Volume 9 Number 21.
Copyright © April 2006 by Gambling
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Distribution to newsstands, card clubs, poker rooms and
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A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
7
Mistakes
Tiger Woods hooked his approach shot into
the water at the PGA event at Doral just a
POKER COUNSELOR
By John Carlisle, MA, NCC
couple of weeks ago. Michael Jordan missed
the potential game winner versus the Cleveland Cavaliers
in 1985. Tiger still won the tournament. Jordan still won
the game (by hitting his 2nd game-winning attempt of the
game). The simple lesson: true champions can find a way to
overcome mistakes to still achieve greatness. While these
legends may have mastered the skill of playing through their
faux pas in their chosen sports, this is not an easy exercise
for most amateur poker players. Instead, an error can cause
a swirl of negative emotion and self-doubt. Mistakes can
lead to tilt even faster than a bad beat. In short, one mistake
can often ignite the fast track to more costly mistakes.
Sports psychologists often spend large amounts of time
mentally preparing athletes for let-downs. The mind must
allow the body to perform optimally despite difficult circumstances. One example is that of a major college athlete
who was faced with two foul shots as time was about to
expire. With the team down by one, the free throws were of
vital importance. The first attempt fell a bit short, hitting
the front of the rim and bouncing out. The opposing coach,
of course, called a time-out to “ice” the shooter before the
game-tying attempt. The pressure was intense. The stakes
were high. And the athlete had to rebound from the disappointment of missing the first shot. The seasoned athlete
had practiced foul shots since he was a child. Although this
one held more importance than any before, he just went
about his normal foul shooting routine. Two dribbles, a deep
breath, the bend of the knees, and …. swish.
I tried a risky bluff last night in pot-limit Omaha tournament at a popular online poker room. The betting style led
me to believe that my opposition was weak. I figured him
for trips, at best. With my draws missed, I talked myself
into the bold bluff with a pot bet (more than enough to put
him all in). My opponent called the rest of his chips in a
heartbeat, exposing his full house. I had made a ridiculously
foolish mistake. My instinct was to immediately play harder
and faster to make up for my terrible error. I identified that
instinct as a bout of tilt, so I worked to regain control of
my emotions and thoughts. It started with a deep breath
and some quick self-scolding. “What am I doing?” I said to
myself. I shook my head is disgust as if trying to shake the
cobwebs out of my skull. “Let’s do it,” I said aloud in the
empty room. That understated mantra is my self-imposed
command to get refocused and rededicated. I went on to a
cash finish. If I would’ve allowed that single mistake to railroad my emotions, I would’ve been out of the tournament 35
minutes too early!
We commonly think that taking a bad beat is the most
common pathway toward tilting. That is not correct, in my
opinion. We most often steam after we play a hand poorly.
The disappointment in ourselves is much more powerful
than anger towards the unlucky cards or our opposition.
Identify your mistakes, then work to get yourself back into
a confident mental state before the completion of the next
deal. Like the basketball player facing a tension-filled foul
shot after his initial miss, coming back from a poker mistake
involves preparation, routine, confidence, and preparedness.
Never allow errors to compound upon themselves. Take control of yourself and your game.
Now go make it happen.
In addition to being an avid poker enthusiast, John is a
certified Counselor in the state of Pennsylvania. He has
a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from West Virginia
University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a
minor in Sociology from Lock Haven University.
You can ask the “Poker Counselor” your
question at carlisle14@hotmail.com.
8
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Party Poker Cruise Rocks Around the Clock
the chip lead at the final
table, and as players were
eliminated, they still had a
hat, veteran player Scott
Buller a railway conductor
from Nebraska with three
prior cashes
at the PPM,
and Michael Schneider, a
twenty two year old journalism student at the University
of Minnesota, it was the
amateur, Michael Schneider
who turned up as the last
man standing. An exuberant, well-mannered kid with
scores of cheering friends
in the crowd, Schneider
withstood the pressure to
take down the top million
dollar prize. James scored as
first runner-up for $700,000
and Scott, the only player to
make it to the PPM annual
tournament’s final table
twice left with $500,000 for
his third place finish.
In addition to tournament
competition, there were all
manner of poker games in
the card room, including
one newly created Hold’em
game that had the animated
winners laughing it up all
night long. The hotshot 5/10
and 10/20 No Limit punters at nearby tables were
seen salivating for seats in
Wendeen H. Eolis
Editor’s Note: This feature
is an adaptation of material that may be part of Ms.
Eolis’ book in progress,
Power Poker Dame.
With an estimated fifteen
hundred poker players on
board, the M.S.Westerdam
departed from the Fort
Lauderdale, Florida pier. A
blasting horn signified the
official start of the Party
Poker Million V featuring
the most prestigious annual
Limit Hold’em tournament
on the planet. The biggest
poker room in the world
moved seamlessly from
cyberspace to the elegantly
appointed digs of the cruise
ship to host the most diverse
poker festivities of the season.
The five day battle for
supremacy in the big event
included a three-handed
ping-pong contest for
second chance in two consolation tournaments that
were planned for later in the
week, or they could simply
opt for the non-stop action
in the cash games down the
hall. There were also plenty
of magical moments beyond
the felt, with revelers rushing up the famous Ocho
Rios waterfalls and swimming with stingrays off the
beaches of Grand Cayman
Island. A good time was had
by all at our ports of call.
The tournament arena was
surrounded with bay windows that drew a constantly
ogling crowd as the five
hundred twenty-eight runners were whittled down one
by one. By the time there
were only three men standing, the pros were the odds
on favorites to win. But
after a ping-pong contest for
the chip lead among Kenna
James, a popular California
pro with Hollywood good
looks and a black cowboy
the game next door, as pots
worth thousands of dollars
were built nightly from their
thirty dollars worth of blinds
at the beginning of the hand.
When not glued to the
card room’s chock-a-block
cash games or making a run
for the million dollar prize
in the PPM V tournament,
PPM voyagers were free
to feast on gourmet treats
from around the world, then
encouraged to get rid of the
calories with stints on state
of the art gym equipment or
a few laps around the ship,
preferably during a glorious
sunrise or sunset.
The M. S. Westerdam’s
gourmet dining room
offered high style for guests
with discerning palates who
seek top-notch ambiance.
On day one, I made a beeline to the gourmet restaurant and booked a table for
every night of the cruise.
My first night dinner date
was with my good friends
(and incredibly gracious
hosts when I am in their
neck of the woods)—the
very youthful Card Player
Cruises honchos Mark and
Lisa Tenner who with partners Linda Johnson and
Jan Fisher, did the hosting chores for the PPM V.
Dressed to the nines but
with her mind on business,
Lisa worked the gourmet
room, nightly and then
moved on, while hubby
Mark watched over casino
transactions throughout the
evenings. Jan coordinated
all of the tournament details
and Linda devoted herself
to every cruiser’s good and
welfare.
Two days into our trip,
Party Gaming welcomed
twenty journalists for a dinner party; it was gourmet
dinner number three for
me. Mike Sexton, one of
the best-known poker faces
from televised poker shows
held court at our table as
the hard-working scribes
jotted notes discretely as
they looked for story hooks
between bites.
Tournament poker star/
movie star Matt Savage
made a trip to the gourmet
dining room, too, hosting a
few hardworking staffers for
Tournament Prize Money*
First Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100,000
Second Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$50,000
Third Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$25,000
Fourth Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$12,500
Fifth Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,000
Sixth Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$7,500
Seventh Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$6,250
Eighth Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000
Ninth Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,750
Tenth Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,500
11th - 20th Place . . . . . . . . . . . .each $1,500
21st - 30th Place . . . . . . . . . . . .each $1,000
Last Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500
Lucky Losers . . . . . . . . . . . . .(four total) $500
Entry Information
No Limit Texas Hold ’Em Tournament
To enter, call Casino Marketing
at 800.634.6441 ext. 2
events@imperialpalace.com
Entry Fee - $500 = $2,000 chips
Optional Dealer Bonus
$25 per entrant = 500 additional chips
* Cash prizes based on number of participants
June 23-25, 2006
$100,000* First Place
$500 Entry Fee
Management Reserves All Rights. Know When To Stop Before You Start®. Gambling Problem? Call 1.800.522.4700
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
9
John Roberts, The Supreme
Court, And Me
POKer AND
THE LAW
By I. NELSON ROSE
It was the New York Times calling, wanting to know what I thought of the nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme
Court. My first thought was, “Yes!! I’ve
made it!”
Then reality struck me, “Wait a minute.”
So I asked, “Why ask me?”
The reporter replied, “You went to
school with him for three years.”
I checked the 1979 Harvard Law School
yearbook. There it was: Roberts, Rose...
his photo was right above mine.
I’d like to say that John and I were great
pals. But we didn’t hang out together. He
spent his time at the Law Review office.
I spent mine playing poker.
Although we never worked on a case
together, John Roberts, now Chief
Justice of the United States, has also
been involved with gaming law.
In 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court heard
one of the most important cases involving legal gambling in years. Federal
law prohibits “lotteries” from advertising on radio or television. The Federal
Communications Commission was punishing any broadcaster who aired a casino commercial, even for poker rooms.
Interestingly, President
Bush’s second nominee to the Supreme
Court, Harriet Miers, who withdrew her
name from conseration, also had ties with
the business of legal gambling. For five
years she was Chair of the Texas Lottery
Commission, which also regulates charity
bingo. At that time Texas had the seventh
largest lottery in the world.
What does this mean for legal gaming?
Probably quite a bit.
Gambling has grown into a big and
respectable business, at least respectabile enough that being associated with
casinos or lotteries is no longer automatic grounds for disqualification from
high public office.
The gaming industry makes far more
money than better known businesses,
such as motion pictures. Gaming is fairly
regularly involved with major cases. A
very few have made it to the nation’s
highest court: A couple involved tax
issues, another dealt with whether New
Jersey could regulate unions already
covered by federal law, and the most
important one declared that part of
the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was
unconstitutional. But that decision
shows how little the justices knew or
cared about legal gaming.
Daneshgar Wins 2-D
In college, he taught a
poker class to students
there. He was ranked in
the top 100 in Card Player
magazine’s Player of the
Year standings last year,
and currently ranks in the
46th spot. Earlier this year,
he won a limit hold’em
event at Borgata worth
$110,400, and last year he
won a shoot-out event at
the Hustler Casino’s Grand
Slam of Poker. He’s also
had a chop worth about
$60,000 at an L.A. Poker
Classic event, and came
in second at Barcelona’s
heads-up championships.
He said he had two
key hands tonight. In
early action, he had 9-8
of hearts, turned a flush
to double up and was in
good shape throughout.
Then, with three tables
left, he raised to 3,000
with As-Ks and somebody, for reasons that
escape him, came over the
top for 75,000 with A-8,
and that got him the chip
lead.
WINNIN ’O’ THE GREEN
BICYCLE OF CASINO
EVENT #24
3/25/06
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
CHAMPIONSHIP
(2-DAY EVENT)
BUY-IN $2,500 +$100
I wrote about this law in my 1986 book,
Gambling and the Law. I pointed out
that casinos are not lotteries. But more
importantly, these are state licensed
businesses. I predicted that the Supreme
Court would declare that this law violated the Constitution’s First Amendment
protection of Free Speech.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
had ruled that the law was unconstitutional when it was applied to prevent
Nevada casinos from advertising on
Nevada radio and TV. But the Fifth
Circuit held that the law prevented New
Orleans broadcasters from running
identical commercials for Louisiana and
Mississippi casinos.
Roberts, then a lawyer in private practice, was hired by the country’s major
casino lobbying group, the American
Gaming Association, to bring the argument to the high Court. He researched
and wrote the brief as the counsel of
record for the AGA.
The Supreme Court accepted the position spelled out by Roberts and me,
declaring that it made no sense to allow
tribal casinos to advertise, when privately owned casinos in the same state
could not.
10
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
In the Seminole opinion, the Court
declared that a tribe could not sue a
state unless the state consented. But
the Court expressly refused to tell tribes
or the states what to do if a state did
not consent.
Other cases have been vigorously fought
over the question of whether tribes can
put in slot-like machines that are technically bingo. Even though the tribes, federal Department of Justice and many states
asked the Supreme Court to decide the
issue, Chief Justice Rehnquist refused. He
did not want to go down in history as the
judge who decided “what is bingo.”
Chief Justice Roberts is a different man.
He understands that legal gaming is an
enormously large and legal business.
He would also be more interested in the
complicated issues surrounding activities like Internet poker. He has shown he
is not afraid of making decisions about
legal gambling.
Professor I Nelson Rose will be teaching International Gaming Law as part of
Whittier Law School’s Summer Abroad
Program in France in July 2006.
For more information, contact Prof.
Rose through his website,
www.gamblingandthelaw.com.
PLAYERS 189
PRIZE
POOL
$495,000
1. David Daneshgar . . $198,000
2. David “Dragon” Pham . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $94,050
3. Daniel Rentzer . . . . . $47,025
4. Francisco Fragoso . . $29,700
5. Tyler Birss . . . . . . . . $22,275
6. Jim Schmidt . . . . . . . $17,325
7. Joe Clapper . . . . . . . $12,380
8. Sam Kassis . . . . . . . . . $9,900
9. Gary Do . . . . . . . . . . . $8,665
ers left, Neeley had nixed
a chip-count deal. Now
there were three, the deal
was made, and with more
than half the chips in play,
the Wolf got the lion’s
share.
Anthony “Big Bad
Wolf” Guadagni has been
playing poker for 20
years, and playing seriously for the last four. He
said he had been going
through some rough times,
and gave his girlfriend,
Reka, credit for inspiring
him, helping him get his
head straight and getting
him on track. The two of
them met at Hollywood
Park, and he’s been tutoring her in poker ever
since. Guadagni has been
splitting his poker time
between cash games and
tournaments, but now is
getting more into tournaments. Last year he won
best all-arounds at the
Hustler Casino’s Grand
Slam of Poker and at
Hollywood Park, and has a
third at Commerce.
In cash games,
Guadagni likes to play
$30-$60 Omaha hi-lo.
Tonight he came to the
final table in second position and said he had never
been in trouble earlier.
BICYCLE OF CASINO
EVENT #23
3/22/06
LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $1,000 +$70
PLAYERS 148
PRIZE
POOL
$43,500
Wolfie Sees Tell,
Eats Up #23
Anthony “Big Bad Wolf”
Guadagni had a tell on
Ken Neeley. Every time
Neeley had a big hand,
Guadagni later revealed,
he would nervously drum
his fingers on the table.
So, when Neeley raised
calmly, without a drumroll, Wolfie put him on
a “mediocre” hand and
moved in for 77,000 with
pocket 9s. Neeley then
called for about 72,000
with pocket 8s. The
Wolfman flopped a set,
blew down Neeley’s house
of chips and took an enormous lead. With four play-
Anthony Guadagni
1. Anthony Guadagni . . . . . . . .
AKA “bbwolf” . . . . . $59,200
2. Gioi Luong . . . . . . . . $28,120
3. Roland Weedon . . . . $14,060
4. Kenneth Neeley . . . . . $8,880
5. Roland Viola . . . . . . . $6,660
6. Anthony West . . . . . . $5,180
7. Stuart Kransney . . . . $3,700
8. Rodeen Talebi . . . . . . $2,960
9. Christopher Barash. . $2,590
Mizrachi Twins in
1-2 Finish!
Some sort of world’s
record was set when two
fraternal twins, both pro
players, got heads-up
Day Final at Bike’s Winnin ’O’ The Green
in a major tournament.
After 56 hands of giveno-quarter play, Michael
“The Grinder” Mizrachi,
currently number one in
Card Player magazine’s
Player of the Year standings, outlasted his
younger (by two minutes)
brother Eric “E-Wee”
Mizrachi to win the 22nd
event of Winnin’ o’ the
Green 2006, $1,000 limit
hold’em. “If he beats
me, I’ll never hear the
end of it,” Michael said,
at one point even faking his brother out of a
pot with a misleading
“pump” movement of his
arm. Adding to the fun,
Michael’s wife Aidiliy
was also sitting at the
table and kibitzing.
And if that weren’t
enough, they were threehanded against John
Bonetti, who provided
nonstop hilarity. When he
discovered his opponents
were siblings, he demanded his bodyguard. “Call
Paul Vinci,” he said.
Michael “The Grinder”
Mizrachi, 25, started
playing poker as a teenager, following his older
Brother Robert. His
nickname derives from
his solid, consistent
play. He’s been having
an extraordinary 2006.
His cash-outs include
$1,173,373 for winning
the WPT championship event at Borgata;
$566,352 for second in
the WPT championship at
Tunica; and $124,402 for
second in $2,500 no-limit
hold’em at the LAPC.
His numerous cashouts last year include
$1,859,909 for winning
the LAPC/WPT championship, $273,040 for
a win at Five-Diamond
World Poker Classic
$2,000 limit hold’em; and
$203,700 for winning the
$1,500 heads-up championship at the Mirage.
He said he originally
hadn’t planned on playing
this event, but eventually decided to do so in
hopes of accumulating
more Card Player points.
He found playing against
his brother an interesting
experience, but frustrating in earlier action when
Eric was getting such
(Continued from page 1)
good cards. “Every time I
raised, he would re-raise
Wow! Satellites for the
Heavyweight
Championship
of Poker—
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& Las Vegas!
SEE PAGE 31
BACK ISSUES, SPECIAL FEATURES & UP-TO-THE MINUTE POKER INFO—
SPECIAL “AFTERFINAL” EVENT!
The Mirage Poker Showdown – A World Poker Tour Event
BICYCLE OF CASINO
EVENT #25
3/27/06
May 4 – 17, 2006
BEST ALL ROUND
POINTS PLAY OFF
BUY-IN $100 +$25
PLAYERS 80
PRIZE
POOL
$28,000
May 4
May 5
May 6
No Limit Hold’em
No Limit Hold’em
No Limit Hold’em
May 7
May 7
May 8
May 9
$500 + $50*
$1,000 + $60*
$1,500 + $70*
May 10
May 10
May 11
Heads Up – Day 1
Limit Hold’em (3 p.m.)
No Limit Hold’em
$7,500
$1,000
$1,500
+ $200
+ $60
+ $70*
No Limit Hold’em
$2,000 + $80*
LIPS Tour Ladies Event (3 p.m.) $500 + $50**
May 12
May 13
Super Satellite
Super Satellite
$1,500
$1,500
+ $70
+ $70
Limit Hold’em
No Limit Hold’em
May 14 – 17 WPT No Limit Hold’em Championship $10,000 + $200***
$500 + $50
$2,500 + $100*
Super Satellites 7 p.m. nightly • May 3 – May 13 • $200 + $30 (w/$200 unlimited rebuys)
Kenneth Neeley
Kenneth Neeley . . . . $11,200
Hung Nguyen . . . . . . . $6,440
Meda Lubliner . . . . . . $3,360
Rocky Enciso . . . . . . . $1,960
Makram Mezhom . . . $1,540
Saifuddin Ahmad. . . . $1,260
Anthony Guadagni . . . . . . . .
AKA “bbwolf” . . . . . . . .$980
8. John Bonetti . . . . . . . . . .$700
9. Benjamin Chung . . . . . .$560
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
For Room Reservations 800-77-POKER (800-777-6537) • Tournament Information 702-791-7291 • mirage.com
All main events start at noon (except where noted). All events (except Super Satellites, LIPS Tour Ladies event and the Championship event) will play down to 9 players. Heads Up event is limited to 128 entries. Final table play
will begin at 3 p.m. the following day. Registration for all main events will begin at 3 p.m. on May 3, 2006. All Super Satellites will seat as many entries as possible for the Championship event. *Champion receives $10,200 entry
(non-negotiable, non-refundable, non-transferable) into the May 14, 2006 Championship event. **$1,500 will be withheld for a seat in the WPT Ladies Circle of Champions event and the LIPS Tour Grand Championship event.
***Champion receives a $25,500 seat (non-negotiable, non-refundable, non-transferable) into the WPT Finals at Bellagio in April 2007. 3% of the prize pool will be withheld for the poker room staff. Management reserves the
right to modify, suspend, or cancel this promotion at its sole discretion and without prior notice. All tournaments are subject to table availability. The Mirage endorses responsible gaming. If you or someone you know has a
problem gaming responsibly, please call the 24-hour Problem Gamblers HelpLine at 1-800-522-4700. ©2006 MGM MIRAGE®. All rights reserved.
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
11
What Hands Win in No Fold-Em O maha
Sam Mudaro, BA, MBA, is a practicing tax accountant and financial executive originally from New York with over 35 years of
analytical business expertise. He and his wife Eva are nineyear Las Vegas residents. Sam uses simulation software to
analyze and develop strategies for Omaha Hi/Lo and other
forms of poker. Reach Sam at: realguru2003@yahoo.com.
I
have shown you what
hands win and lose in
tight, average and loose
games. Now I ask, what
hands would win and lose
if no one folded? Suppose
we sat at a table where the
dealer would simply deal to
all ten players and no matter what the players held or
how the betting developed
all ten players would call to
the river. There would be a
showdown of all ten hands
at the river. The best hand or
hands would win. Would the
distribution of winning and
losing hands be effected?
Would any one come out a
winner? Would the percentage of winning low hands
be affected? What would be
the best strategy to beat this
game?
To answer these questions
I set Wilson’s, Turbo Omaha
High-Low Split software to
Table
Type
Average
No Fold 1
No Fold 2
run 10,000,000 hands with
the same no fold-em player
sitting in all 10 seats. This
accomplished two things.
First: No one would fold.
Second: Each hand would
be played virtually the
same.
% Of Low Winners
Type
Percent
Tight
46.9%
Average 51.2%
Loose
56.4%
No-Fold
60.1%
As we can see from the
chart above, the percentage
of times there is a low winner increases as the game
became looser. It appears
to increase by about 5%
for each classification. This
should not come as a surprise. The more people that
Sam Mudaro is the...
Mike Ward and Jeffrey A
Toth for the details included
below.
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO
What Hands WIN
in No Fold-Em Omaha
stick around for
the river, the greater the chance someone will
catch runner, runner low.
Bill Boston, in his book on
page 8 states the low hands
win 20.5% overall. In the
last paragraph, he states if
you play only profitable
hands, the number increases
to 20.8%. This is less than
half of what I come up with
in a tight game. Surely the
number of players at the
table has an effect on the
results as does the limits.
Perhaps in a future article I
will deal with the affect of
player count on hand values.
So who wins in this
showdown event? The
house of course! Every seat
has the same mathematical probability of winning
or loosing. 10,000,000 is
a large enough number of
hands to ensure complete
randomness. All players
at this table lost between
$3.8MM and $4.1MM
which is a statistically
insignificant difference.
The house was the only
winner. It consistently took
the rake. We all know that
if we continually play in a
game with opponents that
play better then we do, in
the long run we will lose.
However, if we were to
consistently play with opponents who plays as well as
we do in every respect, we
would also lose in the long
run. The long run in reality
is a point in time we may
never reach. There will be
fluctuations all along the
way, which is why poorer
players may walk away
winners from a table full of
superior players.
Hands Won With
Bust
Pair
2 Pair
Trips Straight Flush
Full
Fours St Flsh
2.02% 6.80% 22.47% 13.16% 22.40% 16.77% 18.80% 1.88% 0.27%
0.00% 0.00% 2.90% 6.45% 32.19% 19.85% 33.56% 4.26% 0.71%
0.00% 0.00% 3.24% 7.20% 35.94% 22.16% 37.47% 4.76% 0.79%
In the chart above I averaged the results from the
tight, loose and average
tables and present the
results on the line labeled
“Average”. It is not an
average table. The percentages on the line labeled
“No Fold 1” are the ratios
of the occurrence of each
hand to the total of hands.
It measure how often one
hand type appeared comnot
pared to the others; hence
the sum of all types totals
100%. The “No Fold 2”
line represents the percentage of times the individual
hand appeared as a percentage of the total hands dealt.
The sum here is greater
then 100% due to hand
splitting when two or more
people won with the same
hand. The second chart was
constructed in the same
fashion.
A key observation here is
that whichever “No Fold”
line you use the premium
d
be a maximum of 4 people
holding two pair. If the flop
contains a pair as in A-7-7 the
number increases to 23 possible combinations. Since we
have 10 players we are therefore limited to a maximum of
20 combinations. That would
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12
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
be the equivalent of every
player holding two different
two pair combinations i.e. (KK-Q-Q or A-5-8-8).
One may ask why is the
number of losing hands so
little with a bust, 3.36% of
the total? Logic may lead one
to believe that by staying to
the end the bust should lose a
larger number of times. The
problem with that logic is that
very few bust hands exist by
the time all 10 players reach
Royal
0.05%
0.08%
0.09%
Totals
104.6%
100.0%
111.6%
hands win more often.
This is true because no one
folds and more draws are
completed. More hands are
able to improve. There is
a significant reduction of
winning 2 pair hands. The
number of hands won with
a pair or bust is less then
1/1,000th of a percent.
Table
Hands Lost With
Type
Bust
Pair
2 Pair
Trips Straight Flush
Full Fours St Flsh
Average 5.51% 37.14% 56.44% 13.89% 12.41% 7.95% 4.14% 0.01% 0.00%
not
No Fold 1 3.36% 29.79% 41.10% 9.07% 8.65% 5.09% 2.93% 0.01% 0.00%
No Fold 2 29.87% 264.64% 365.13% 80.60% 76.88% 45.20% 25.99% 0.05% 0.00%
The first thing one may notice
looking at this 2nd chart is the
sum of the “No Fold 2” line,
888.4% How can this number
be so large? Let’s take a look
at the largest number, 2 pair.
If the flop is of 3 different
ranks i.e. A-K-2, there may
Foxwoods P
Royal
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
Totals
137.5%
100.0%
888.4%
the river. The bust would
have improved to a pair or
better.
So what have we learned?
In Omaha Hi-Low the percentage of low hand winners
increases in proportion to the
looseness of the game. A no
fold-em game is the loosest. The best strategy for a
no fold-em game is to show
down the nuts. You will not
be able to bluff anyone out of
or off a hand.
FOXWOODS POKER CLASSIC
EVENT #5
4/1/06
LADIES
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $260 + $40
PLAYERS 307
PRIZE
POOL
$81,820
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Cynthia Albert . . . . . $27,001
Regis Donovan . . . . . $14,728
Michelle Demerle. . . . $8,182
Elizabeth Gregoire . . $5,318
Eve Wells . . . . . . . . . . $3,682
Susan Rombola . . . . . $3,068
Mary Palmerino . . . . $2,455
Melinda Seifert . . . . . $2,045
Laura Gamble . . . . . . $1,841
Wayne Peterson Rolls
to Victory!
$165,501 For 1st!
Wayne Peterson eliminated
his last five opponents as he
rolled to victory in the 2006
$1200 No-Limit Hold’em
Championship. Wayne, a
resident of Holliston, MA,
took home the championship trophy, commemorative jacket and $165,507 for
his efforts! His last obstacle
on his road to victory
was overcoming Richard
Besserman, who had
scratched his way from one
of the short stacks on the
final table into 2nd place.
Entering heads up action,
Wayne held a 5 to 1 chip
advantage over Richard.
Richard survived a couple
of all-ins before laying it on
the line with K9 off. Wayne
had Ac5; the flop came
KQc9c and Richard was
looking good with two pair.
The turn was a Jc which
gave Wayne a straight and
flush draw; when the 6c
came on the river, Wayne
had the flush and Richard,
who hails from Wantagh,
NY, was in 2nd place with
$88,005.
Third place was claimed
by Brent Catalano of
Redding, CT, when his
K3 could not catch up to
Wayne’s KJ. Earlier in
the evening Brent had lost
another hand to Wayne
which significantly changed
the landscape of the final
table. Brent had pocket Q’s
and called Wayne’s all-in
after the turn. The board
was A9KQ and Wayne
turned over J10 for the
straight and became the
new chip leader. Brent col-
Poker Classic
lected $48,599 for 3rd.
Fourth Place finisher,
Timothy Connor, Broad
Channel, NY, had pocket
5’s and went all-in; Wayne
hesitated but called with 86.
An 8 on the flop and a 6 on
the turn gave Wayne 2 pair
and left Tim with $34,151.
Gary Styczynski, from
Pearl River, NY, was able
to improve on his 9th place
finish in the Shoot-out by
taking 5th in this event. He
called Wayne’s pre-flop
all-in with AK; Wayne had
pocket 6’s and, with a 692
flop and a 9 on the turn,
Gary was the winner of
$23,643. Feming Chan took
his starting chip count and
im-proved to 6th position.
He would have been around
longer but Wayne caught
a flush on the river to top
his 2 pair and Feming, of
Cranbury, NJ, would have
to settle for $19,703. Jesse
Simonelli of Everett, MA,
had his own cheering section which was unable to
help his J9 overcome Tim’s
AK. Jesse took 7th place
and $15,762.
Antonio Ribeiro, a resi-
dent of Naugatuck, CT, was
unable to catch any cards
and when he was all-in
with QJ, Jesse had KQ
and Antonio was in 8th
position winning $13,135.
David Vaillancourt, from
Tyngs-boro, MA, claimed
9th place when his A8 was
out kicked by Brent’s A10;
David received $11,821 for
his efforts. Wooyang Lin,
the final table short stack,
lasted 5 hands before taking 10th place money of
$10,508 when his Q3 lost
out to Tim’s pocket 7’s.
EVENT #4
3/31/06
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $1,100 + $100
PLAYERS 474
PRIZE
POOL
$525,450
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Wayne R Peterson . $165,501
Richard Besserman . $88,055
Brent Catalano . . . . $48,599
Timothy Connor . . . $34,151
Gary Styczynski. . . . $23,643
Feming Chan . . . . . . $19,703
WPX Offers Second
Annual London Open
World Poker Exchange
recently announced plans to
partner with Autumn Light
Media, L.L.C. to produce
the second annual London
Open poker tournament.
Referred to by Bravo TV
as “The Wimbledon of
British poker,” the oneof-a-kind signature lifestyle poker tournament
will again be held in the
United Kingdom, in one
of the dynamic city’s most
renown historic properties, the Whitehall Palace
on September 22-27th.
CEO of the International
Poker Federation, Thomas
Kremser, will be the
event’s tournament director.
The World Poker
Exchange London Open
2005, attracted 140 of the
poker world’s finest players who competed for a
guaranteed $2 million
prize pot. Celebrities from
both sides of the pond
also participated in the
multiple-day event, with
such Hollywood favorites
as Jennifer Tilly, Mimi
Rogers and Sex in the
City’s perpetually charming Willie Garson giving
the pros a literal run for
the money. This year, the
$10k buy-in tournament is
expected to draw 300 players, driving the estimated
pot to $3 million.
The inaugural offering of the World Poker
Exchange London Open
established new ground for
live poker tournaments and
raised the stakes on tournament profiles by offering distinctive lifestyle
wrap-around events for its
players and their guests,
like back stage passes
to “The Producers” and
private tours of the royal
Palace. The London Open
kicked off with an invitation only party for 1,400
attendees with legendary
Grace Jones and UK rock
band, Dirty Vegas both
performing. Additionally,
the tournament was housed
in a landmark historical building on the River
Thames and was captured
by Bravo TV, which produced a prime time television special surrounding
the overall event.
“The London Open 2005
showed the poker community just how much
more a high stakes poker
tournament can be beyond
just playing cards and
going home. It embodied
the lifestyle of a professional poker player and
celebrated the spirit of this
great game. We will further build upon last year’s
event and once again offer
the best poker tournament
in Europe,” says Haden
Ware, Managing Director of
World Poker Exchange.
POWERFUL ADVERTISING REACH—USE IT!
poker player
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
13
Raymond Goes West
Poker Trials
POwer POKER PSYCHOLOGY
By JAMES A. M C KENNA, P H D.
I recently heard a story about a man who was
attending a display of some masterpieces of
modern art. After, he looked around he said to his companion who
brought him there, “I don’t think these are any good. They look more
like accidents with paint to me!” To that his companion said, “Well,
the masterpieces are no longer on trial; but, the viewers are.” With
that the critic scratched his head and remained silent.
I thought to myself that there are a lot of players who like to critique other players at the poker tables. I’ve also noticed that what
some players see as a good hand, others would judge as garbage.
The adage that beauty is in the eye of the beholder was never truer
than at a poker game of Texas Hold ‘em. What one player will play
in any position, another will only play in late positions. Some players will blame the dealer or other players when they play hands that
come in last or second-best.
I’ve seen this for years in my counseling practice. Couples will say
things like, “You make me feel so unloved!” That’s when I whip out
my chalk board and write down this formula that I’ve named the “The
Vowels of Autonomy.”
Then I explain that no one can
make another person feel badly
without their consent. Sure bad
things happen to good people.
That’s how things start. The
activating events (A.E.) don’t
automatically result in our feeling bad (the O., for outcome).
That’s why some people can feel good about the outcomes of some
card games and others will feel abused. What actually make the outcomes positive or negative in how we interpret things that happen to
us (The “I” in the formula).
Things seldom happen in a poker game that go smoothly, even for
the players who are seasoned and know what they are doing. Most
players can play good cards that hold up. The difference is how players interpret the bad cards that they are dealt. For example, how
many players would raise with a hand like 2, 10 off-suit? Well, this is
a hand with which the famous Doyle Brunson has won tournaments.
True in each case he was playing the players more than he was playing the cards. He’s able to take an activating event (A.E.), like poor
hole cards and influence the outcome (O) to get people to fold and in
the end win with the best hand. Just as the outcome is determined
more by how people interpret (I) what happens to them, so too it’s
possible to influence how other players interpret your moves.
One thing is always for sure. You can’t change what happens to
you. You have no control over the cards that are dealt to you. The
one thing that you can change is the “I” in the formula—how you
interpret the cards that you are dealt. That’s why the “U” is the
common denominator of this formula. While you can’t change the
cards that are dealt, you can change how you interpret those cards
and thus change your outcomes (O). Here are some questions for
you that will serve as examples: “How do you interpret middle suited
connectors? Do you only play them when you are in late position?”
“How big must your kicker be before you will play picture cards? Will
you only play little kickers in late position?” Finally, “how does your
interpretation of these questions change if your opponents think
you are only an aggressive player when you have two powerful hole
cards?”
I recently admitted to one of my poker friends that, “Some of
my worst poker days were when I was doing everything just right.”
Without good fortune, good playing can take a lot of bad turns. This
is particularly true when a person plays cards and flops that have
good odds and gets beaten by players who get lucky and play cards
with poor odds. As the story goes, good poker players are no longer
on trial; but, those who view them are.
O.
A.E. + I. =
U.
James A. McKenna, PhD., has been a practicing individual
and group therapist for over thirty-five years. His knowledge of human behavior combined with over thirty years of
gaming experience gives him a unique perspective on the
psychology of the gamer. His book, “Beyond Tells-Power
Poker Psychology,” was recently published by Kensington
Press. Write to him at jim@JimMckenna-phd.com.
14
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
been appointed Director of
Poker Operations for the
Venetian’s new luxury 39table cardroom that opened
on April 2, 2006.
I caught up with
Raymond prior to the
Grand Opening and spoke
with her in depth concerning her decision to leave
Connecticut for a new life
in Las Vegas.
Raymond believes the
move has presented her
with the opportunity of
working at the best resort
in the world. Raymond
went on to explain why
The Venetian is the best
resort in the world, “Apart
from being the best place to
work from a team members
perspective The Venetian
offers a level of both gaming and recreational experience that is unsurpassed.”
I posed the question,
“What is the biggest difference in the two venues?”
Raymond’s response was
“The two properties, as
for my role are the same.
The difference is the
competitive nature of the
geographic areas of the
country. With the already
established four-star level
of service that is currently
being recognized by our
guests, The Venetian Poker
Room will follow through
on that experience.”
Raymond followed that
up with, “Our objective is
to furnish our guests the
same respect whether they
are a recreational player
or a professional player.”
Raymond boldly stated,
“The Venetian Poker Room
will become the destination of choice in the poker
world.”
I was curious as to her
opinion on East Coast versus West Coast poker players, Raymond responded,
“With regard to the recreational player I believe
they are the same across
the country. Las Vegas does
have a much larger player
base of professionals and
consideration has been
given to that fact at The
Venetian.”
Prior to her move to The
Venetian, Raymond managed the second largest
poker room in the world
with 114 poker tables, so
of course I asked if she
thought it would be easier
to manage a smaller room.
According to Raymond,
“It’s no more difficult to
run a 114 table room than
a 39 table room, the goals
and objectives remain consistent, the service should
continue to be at its highest
whether servicing 200 players or 1,000 players.”
Raymond had little,
if any competition in
Connecticut, so I asked
how she would handle the
direct competition from
rooms here in Vegas of
equal caliber. She responded, “In no way do I consider The Venetian Poker
Room as equal to our competition. By that I mean
that the level of comfort,
the degree of choice, and
the consistency are what I
consider the three C’s of a
successful poker room and
that will be our approach
to creating the finest poker
room in the world.”
She continued, “We will
listen to our players and
provide those components
of the poker atmosphere
that may be lacking in
other properties.”
I questioned Raymond
as to how long before she
would meet the goal of
the Best Poker Room?
Raymond said, “We will be
the best poker room when
we open our doors on April
2. The time it takes for
players around the country
to recognize that fact will
begin with their first experience at The Venetian.”
On a lighter subject,
I asked, “Is there anything you will miss in
Connecticut?” Raymond
stated, “I have left family
behind who are anxiously
waiting their next vacation
to Vegas. I will also miss
the many wonderful working relationships with the
Foxwood team. But on the
other hand, I eagerly anticipate the birth of what I see
to be a fantastic opportunity to extend those wonderful relationships with The
Venetian team and players.
I’ve always believed Las
Vegas is the gaming Mecca
and knew it was going be
my ultimate destination.”
I inquired as to
Raymond’s thoughts on
where poker was headed
in the next five years. She
responded, “It’s not at its
(Cont’d from page 1)
pinnacle by a long shot. I
believe poker growth will
continue at a significant
rate over the next five
years, it may not be the tremendous burst we’ve seen
since 2002 but there are
generations waiting in the
Sport of
Kings
wings, honing their skills
and anxiously awaiting
their first step into a real
poker room.”
bed. In our next issue, we
will report on the remaining
events. For now, we provide you with the results of
the first three.
HOLLYWOOD PARK CASINO
SPORT OF KINGS 2006
EVENT #3
3/31/06
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
REBUY UNLIMITED
BUY-IN $200 + $20
PLAYERS 203
REBUYS 394
PRIZE
POOL
$119,400
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Jacky Lee . . . . . . . . . $42,275
Shane Shields . . . . . . $22,000
Nhut Tran . . . . . . . . . $11,000
Chris Karagulleyan . . $7,530
Alan Myerson . . . . . . $5,210
Jim Schmidt . . . . . . . . $4,055
Keith Dablos . . . . . . . $2,890
Dennis Thorn . . . . . . . $2,310
Phuoc Nguyen . . . . . . $1,850
SPORT OF KINGS 2006
EVENT #2
3/30/06
LIMIT HOLD’EM
REBUY UNLIMITED
BUY-IN $100 + $25
PLAYERS 200
REBUYS 361
PRIZE
POOL
$56,100
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Shant Kuyumjian . . $21,765
Le Kim Banh . . . . . . $10,880
Mike Lynch . . . . . . . . $5,440
Henry Ferguson . . . . . $3,535
Daniel Vargas . . . . . . $2,720
Vinh Nguyen . . . . . . . $1,905
Romulo Macandili . . $1,360
Cherise Blakey . . . . . . $1,090
George Rechnitzer. . . . .$815
SPORT OF KINGS 2006
EVENT #1
3/30/06
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
REBUY UNLIMITED
BUY-IN $100 + $25
PLAYERS 503
REBUYS 1200
PRIZE
POOL
$170,300
1. Mayen Grigorian . . . $60,295
2. Tim Ly AKA “Stinky” . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $31,385
3. Jacky Lee . . . . . . . . . $15,695
4. Matt Salsberg. . . . . . $10,735
5. Billy Alicante . . . . . . . $7,440
6. Fred Legaspi . . . . . . . $5,785
7. Marshall Plouffe . . . . $4,135
8. Gerard Felix. . . . . . . . $3,310
9. Kianoush Abolfathi . . $2,650
7. Jesse C. Simonelli . . $15,762
8. Antonio Riberio . . . . $13,135
9. David Vaillancourt . $11,821
Sang Lee is
Triumphant in 7-Card
Stud Finals!
With his supporters chanting “Lee, Lee, Lee,”
Stamford, CT, resident Sang
Bong Lee outlasted the spirited fight of George Lynch
and six other opponents
to capture the $600 Seven
Card Stud Champi-onship
of the 2006 Foxwoods
Poker Classic. Lee was the
chip leader from the start
of the final table and he
was able to maintain his
advantage for most of the
evening. George Lynch of
Cromwell, CT, pulled even
and then slightly ahead of
Lee during heads up play,
but he was not able to put
him away. George collected
$24,145 for his second
place finish. Lee took home
the championship trophy,
commemorative jacket and
$44,796.
Regina Brown, also a
resident of Cromwell, CT,
entered the final table as the
short stack and two hands
into the action was all-in.
She was able to catch 7’s
up but Stephen Graboski
had K’s up and Regina took
8th place and $3,177. After
eliminating Regina, Stephen
lost a big hand to Leroy
Pinette and then was allin against Lee. His A high
hand was no competition
for Lee’s J’s up and Stephen
Graboski would return
to Harwinton, CT, in 7th
place with $3,812. Steven
Coughlin of Glastonbury,
CT, survived two all-ins
but his K’s up could not
catch up to Leroy’s trip J’s.
Steven’s 6th place finish
earned him $5,084. Fifth
place honors went to David
Velke; the Catharpin, VA,
native was the winner of
five all-ins before finally
succumbing to George.
David had A’s but George
had two pair and David was
paid $6,354. Leroy Pinette
of Terryville, CT, was the
next to leave the final table.
Leroy had a remarkable
run to stay alive as long
as he did but, in the end,
several hands versus Lee
left him down to the felt.
He was all-in with 10’s but
Lee had A’s and Leroy was
in 4th position with $8,895.
Third place winner, Michael
Frejka of New York City
also met his match in Lee.
He went all-in with 8’s up
but Lee turned over K’s up
and then filled. Michael had
$13,344 for third place.
George and Lee played
almost two full levels heads
up before the issue was
finally decided. With the
limits at $20,000/$40,000,
wide swings in position
were possible. The chips
moved back and forth until
two consecutive hands gave
Lee complete control. He
had 6’s to 5’s in the first
and trip 8’s to two pair in
the second. Finally, George
had 7’s but Lee had 9’s up
to take the championship!
EVENT #3
3/30/06
LIMIT 7 CARD STUD
BUY-IN $530 + $70
PLAYERS 236
PRIZE
POOL
$127,080
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Sang Bong Lee . . . . . $44,796
George E. Lynch . . . $24,145
Michael Frejka . . . . $13,344
Leroy Pinette . . . . . . . $8,895
David Velke . . . . . . . . $6,354
Steve Coughlin . . . . . . $5,084
Stephen Graboski . . . $3,812
Regina Brown . . . . . . $3,177
Roger A Aveni . . . . . . $2,859
Robert Sciammarella$18,185
Patrick J Coughlin . $15,912
Logan Schiff . . . . . . $13,638
James J Debreceni. . $11,366
Joseph A Baron . . . . $10,229
EVENT #1
3/27/06
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $260 + $40
PLAYERS 924
PRIZE
POOL
EVENT #2
3/29/06
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
2 FLIGHTS
BUY-IN $530 + $70
PLAYERS 854
PRIZE
POOL
$454,620
Sang Bong Lee
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
1.
2.
3.
4.
David Zeitlan . . . . . $127,294
Jeffrey L Cohen . . . . $67,057
Firas Haddad . . . . . . $36,369
George Billias. . . . . . $27,277
$240,240
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
Robert Miller . . . . . . $70,107
Adam Lippert . . . . . $38,948
Thomas Arrigoni . . . $23,369
Francesco Zangari. . $11,684
Michael Amendole . . . $7,790
Yves Hentic. . . . . . . . . $6,816
Jon Harcut . . . . . . . . . $5,842
Joseph Cote . . . . . . . . $4,868
Gary Styczynski. . . . . $3,895
15
High and Inside
STRAIGHT SKINNY
By RICHARD G. BURKE
My local poker room was crowded on
a Saturday afternoon in mid-winter.
Nearing the end of my session in a ten-handed
$4-8 Hold’Em game, I was down more than half
a rack and quite glum about my bad run of cards,
so I took a break and watched George at the next
table. Holding Ad-Ta in Middle position George
raised. The Cutoff, the Button and both Blinds
called. After the house and bad-beat rakes, the pot
held $36.
The Flop was Qa-Jd-8f. Any of the four Kings
would make the nut Straight. Any of the four Nines
would also make a Straight, tying with anyone else
having a Ten, but losing to someone with a hand
like Kf-Tf. Any of the three Aces would make top
Pair with an okay kicker, but lose to anyone holding A-Q or A-J. In total, he had four clean outs plus
seven “iffy” ones.
There were 47 cards remaining, whereabouts
unknown. With four outs his chance to make the nut
Straight on the Turn was 4/47, about one in twelve.
The two Blinds checked to him. If he were to bet $4,
then he would be getting pot odds of $40 for $4, or
ten for one. If one player were to call, then his pot
odds would be eleven for one. If two or more players were to call, then the pot odds would be at least
twelve for one. He figured he should maintain the
initiative, plus his hand had those seven “iffy” outs.
He bet $4 and all four others called.
The Ks on the Turn made Broadway for George.
At that point the board was Qa-Jd-8f-Ks. The
Small Blind bet $8. The Big Blind raised! Had he
made Broadway also? Had the Big Blind slowplayed a Set or the 2nd nut Straight? Had he just
made Two Pairs? If he had raised with Two Pairs
and if the board paired, then George’s nut Straight
would be toast.
There was $80 in the pot and it was $16 to
George. If he were to re-raise, then everyone
know that he had the nut Straight and, except for
the Big Blind, or anyone with a Set, they would
all fold. If he called smoothly, then one or more
of the three downstream players might also call,
thus enriching the pot. He just called. The Cutoff
thought for a bit and called the $16. The Button
folded. The Small Blind called for $8. There was
$120 in the pot.
The River was a blank, putting Qa-Jd-8f-Ks7f on the table. The Blinds checked to George.
He bet $8. The Cutoff and the Small Blind folded.
The Big Blind called. George showed his hand; the
dealer pushed him the $136 pot.
George played that A-T primarily because of
its high-card strength. Pre-Flop, the chance that
the tableau would be K-Q-J-x-x without a Ten,
an Ace, or any pair, is only 1.4%, as given by
(12*8*4)/3!*(32*28)/2!/C(50,5). That nice Flop
gave George an 8.5% chance for the nut Straight
on the Turn.
When drawing to an inside Straight, eleven times
out of twelve the Turn card will disappoint. If the
pot odds are twelve for one or better, because
there were a goodly number of opponents and/or
there was a raise or two before the Flop, then
drawing to the nuts on the Turn with just four outs
can be profitable. You can bet on that. George did.
Mr. Burke is the author of Flop: The Art of Winning at
Low-Limit Hold ’Em, on sale at amazon, gamblersbook,
& kokopellipress.com. E-mail your Hold ’Em questions to
richardburke@comcast.net
16
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
redhead jumps out of her
car, trips and falls, dropping her gun and scraping
her knees. She gets up,
leaving the gun behind,
and runs down an alley. I
pick up her gun and race
table full of beautiful
“poke-her” girls playing
X-rated games. Tonight
must be “Feelin’ Groovy”
Night—the room is filled
with redheaded miniskirted go-go dancers.
X-Rated Poker
A Poker Player Murder Mystery by Robert Arabella
The card cheat, Steve
The Sleeve, had just
been about to tell me the
identity of the Mad Poker
Room Bomber, when he
was shot by the reincarnation of The Red Queen.
The story of The Red
Queen goes that one night
in the 1960’s a redhead
in a mini-skirt walked
into Club Flush, asked to
have a famous card cheat
pointed out to her, and,
finding out where he was
seated, went up to his
table and shot him dead.
Legend has it that if any
card cheat ever sits at
her table again, The Red
Queen will return to kill
him.
By the time the gunsmoke clears, The Red
Queen is gone. Steve,
dying, says, “Jackie, you
and I are poker cheats,
born to lie and steal, but
not to kill. I didn’t bomb
those poker rooms,” a
bloody coughing spasm,
“but I know who did.” He
stops, gasps for air, and
says, “Jack, you fool, the
mad poker bomber is ….”
Steve’s eyes roll slowly
up in his head and he’s
gone.
From outside I hear
the roar of a motor and
then the peel-out squeal
of tires. I grab Steve’s
gun, stick it in my pocket,
and run for the door. The
redhead’s car fishtails
down the street. The cab
that brought me here, its
engine still idling, sits at
the curb. I jump in and,
flooring the gas, give
chase.
I weave dangerously
through traffic. Other
cars get in between and
I lose sight of her. In a
desperate gamble, I cross
into the oncoming lanes
and then, at the very last
second, veer back in right
behind her. In response
she slams on her brakes. I
swerve to avoid crashing
into her and end up coming to a rubber-burning,
tire-squealing stop. The
after her.
The alley dead ends at
a door marked “Pleasure
Poker.” I crash through
the door and into a Strip
Poker Club full of redheads in mini-skirts.
Prostitution is illegal.
Poker isn’t. Strip Poker
Clubs are a legal fiction which allows their
male patrons to sit at a
In “The Mysterious
Case Of The Purloined
Letter,” Edgar Allen Poe
wrote about an stolen letter, hidden in plain sight
on a messy desk. In my
own “Mysterious Case Of
The Missing Redhead,”
the mini-skirted redheaded murderer has hidden
herself in a room full of
mini-skirted redheads.
I’m thinking there is no
way to ever find The Red
Queen when suddenly I
realize no one can hide in
an empty room. I pull the
fire alarm, sending all the
redheaded mini-skirted
strip poker girls running
out the door. As each one
runs by I look for the telltale scraped knees.
When the last “pokeher” girl has exited I
raise the gun and call
out into the empty Strip
Club, “Come on out, Red!
Hands up!” and, to my
surprise, out she comes
with her hands up. Only,
she’s not a redhead and
she’s not alone.
(To be continued in the next
issue of Poker Player)
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Sign-ups begin at noon the Monday prior to each tournament
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A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
17
DEBBIE BURKHEAD INTERVIEWS...
Lee Vinocur
CARDROOM MANAGER AT THE VENETIAN
4000 W. Flamingo Road • Las Vegas • 251-3574
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Lee was born 34 years
ago in Lima, Ohio on
December 27, 1972 and at
the age of seven his family
moved to Tampa, Florida.
Lee graduated from King
High School in 1991 and
attended the University of
Florida from 1991 until
1994.
Lee’s first visit to Las
Vegas was with his parents
at the age of 14. He knew
from that day on that he
wanted to live in Las Vegas
and be part of the gaming industry, so one month
after his 21st birthday he
pulled up stakes and moved
to Las Vegas.
Upon arriving in Vegas
Lee went straight to dealing school to learn to deal
dice. His first job came
as a dice dealer at the El
Cortez in downtown Las
Vegas.
In the fall of 1994 he
left the El Cortez and
headed up the strip for
O’Shea’s and then on to the
Flamingo.
In 1995 Lee moved back
to Florida to finish his education but couldn’t take it,
he missed Las Vegas and in
January of 1996 he moved
back to Las Vegas.
He took a dice dealing job at the Westward
Ho that only lasted two
months. His next move
was back downtown to the
Four Queens and within a
year Lee was promoted to
Casino Supervisor. While
employed at the Queens
they taught him to deal
blackjack and roulette.
When The Venetian
opened in 1999 Lee moved
back up to the strip as
Table Games Supervisor. In
2000 he was promoted to
Dual/Rate Pit Manager and
in 2004 he was promoted
to Full Time Pit Manager.
He was responsible for all
areas of the casino but primarily the Baccarat Pit.
In 2006 Lee was
appointed Poker Room
Manager for The Venetian’s
Poker Room and is very
excited about his future in
the world of poker.
DB: How many tables will
The Venetian open with?
LV: A total of 39. 32 in the
main area, five in the highlimit section and an additional two high-limit tables
in “The Salon”
DB: Why did The
Venetian take so long in its
decision to open a poker
room?
LV: Yes, it’s true our
guests were clamoring for
live action poker, but we
wanted to make sure we
did things the right way
and we are very proud of
the product we’ve created.
DB: How do you plan to
compete with the other
major poker rooms in Las
Vegas?
LV: There are four aspects
for creating a successful
room of this size. First is
the physical room itself,
which we are very proud
of, it’s spacious, comfortable and elegant. Second is
guest service, our goal is to
extend the level of service
that The Venetian is famous
for to the Las Vegas poker
market. We want to get to
know our regular guests
on a personal level. Third
is dealing competence, we
are actively training our
dealing staff to be accurate
and efficient in all games.
Fourth is basically staying
busy and if we are successful in our first three goals
we will attract the level of
business we are seeking.
DB: Is The Venetian‘s
Poker Room equipped with
all the modern technology?
LV: Absolutely, we are
equipped with the latest
version of the QOS tracking system which will take
effect soon after our grand
opening. This latest system
allows dealers to alert floor
personnel when a decision
needs to be made, when
open seats come available, when fills are needed,
cocktails, etc. The system
also allows us to track our
players and allows players
on the wait list to wander
the casino floor with a
pager. Aside from the QOS
system we have shuffle
masters on all of our tables.
We are offering a comp
system of $1.00 per hour
on rake games and $1.50
per hour on time games.
DB: What other amenities
will The Venetian Poker
Room offer its players?
LV: There are 21 plasma
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LESSON 73:
The Bounty Tournament
I’ve sat beside Mike Caro, watching and learning as he plays online in the Bounty tourna-
Lessons from mike caro
university of poker
BY DIANE M C HAFFIE
ments, Thursdays at Doylesroom.com. He
enjoys playing in the tournaments and chatting with everyone from all around the world. It’s so amazing that you can
play with people from Canada, to the United Kingdom, and
Australia.
Mike’s achieved 8th, 9th, and 11th places in fields up to
800. He observes his opponents and actually receives tells
from them. Although the obvious tells are absent, there are
still tells to be noticed, like in how quickly the buttons are
used or a delay in using them.
Although I have occasionally played online, starting with Free
Money and graduating to Real Money, I hadn’t played in any
online tournaments. One evening I told Mike that I’d like to play
in the Bounty tournaments and he encouraged me to do so.
Thrilling. So, four weeks ago I jumped into the pond of players at the Thursday night Bounty tournament at Doylesroom.
com. It is so thrilling to be playing in the tournament, knowing
that at any moment the powers-that-be could drop one of the
Bounty’s on to your table. That’s because as players are eliminated, tables are consolidated and you or the bounties can
suddenly find yourself at a different table. Each time you’re
zapped away, you wonder where you’re going and who’s going
to be there. Imagine playing against your teacher!
One of the first things I discovered was the excitement of
winning a pot. It was so invigorating! I was actually jumping
up and down and yelling with delight and amazement. My
heart was pounding and the adrenalin was flowing. Wow! Well,
needless to say, I’m hooked now! I haven’t missed a Thursday
night Bounty tournament since. I placed 111th that first night,
outlasting more than 600 opponents. Not great, but not bad.
Although, I was thrilled, I didn’t get reckless and try to bet
questionable hands. I continued to play conservatively, as
Mike had taught me, taking into consideration my position,
the cards that I was holding, and trying to remember all I’d
been taught.
To be considered. Sure, you think you’re holding two significant cards, but consider the cards that are already on the
board and what your opponent could be holding? What are
they hoping to make? Is your hand strong enough? Everything
has to be considered before you take the leap or continue to
pursue a pot. Mike says that in online poker, opponents tend
to call more often and I’ve discovered that to be true.
I was pleasantly surprised that I did so well my first time
out. I was proud of myself, but what was even better, my
teacher was proud of me, too. I’m still playing carefully and
not taking chances unless I feel that I have a good opportunity
of securing the pot. When I do win the pot, I feel victorious,
and pleased that my lessons have paid off. But I feel the same
way about making a good fold. I’ve been taught that the victory isn’t in winning the pot – it’s in making the right decision.
Next step. So, if you haven’t tried online play, yet, you
should. I can understand if you’re just starting out, and feel
cautious about your abilities. I was like that. I began with
the free money games until I felt confident enough to play in
the real money games. When you work up to the real money
games, a good next step is the Bounty tournament.
Perhaps you’ll find yourself sitting down at more real
money tables having fun and learning. Then maybe one day
you’ll feel prepared to take on a real world table with live
opponents surrounding you and the feel of chips between
your fingers.
Poker
Partying
A Joe & Hobby fiction by
David J. Valley
Hobby and I had been enjoying Margaritas on the fantail
of Lazybuns, his ocean-going
abode at Marina del Rey.
If for no other reasons, I’d
befriend Hobby for his ability
to make the M-drink. There
are none better—nowhere!
Were it not for their calories,
I’d make them a steady diet. I
try to limit myself to two, but
Ms are like peanuts, the more
you have the more you want.
I was still salivating when
Hobby came from below
decks waving a paper.
“Remember Sugi
Yamamoto?”
“Sure.” How could I forget
the adventure in Japan last
year? After fighting off local
gangsters we finished up with
an action packed shipboard
poker tournament. “What’s
he up to.”
“He’s coming for his
daughter’s graduation and
wants to do some poker bumming around.”
“When?”
“In two weeks.”
“I’m not planning to go
anywhere. How about you,
Hobby?”
“I’ll tell him to count on
us. In the meantime maybe
we can figure out what else
he has in mind,” Hobby said
Diane McHaffie is Director of Operations at Mike Caro
University of Poker, Gaming, and Life Strategy. Her
diverse career spans banking, promotion of major financial seminars and the raising of White-tailed Deer. You
can write her online at diane@caro.com.
20
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
as he handed me the email
message.
I could see what had
puzzled Hobby. “While I’m
there I want to do some
research regarding property my grandfather had in
California before WW II.” I
immediately thought about
the internment of JapaneseAmericans ordered by
President Roosevelt in the
early 1940’s. I wondered if
that was somehow involved.
It was a despicable event in
our history, for which we
should rightfully be ashamed,
but maybe I was off on the
wrong track entirely.
“Hobby, ask him for
details. Maybe we can get
some information before he
arrives. One of my neighbors
works for a title company;
she can run a trace on a property from an address.”
After his daughter’s SC
commencement Sugi hosted
a dinner party at the Golden
Crown. A lot of good food
and drink were consumed
before Hobby and I bade our
goodbyes. Sugi walked out
with us and said, “Tomorrow
family business over, so, we
go poker partying?”
“Yes.” Hobby answered.
“We’ll pick you up for lunch
and start at Commerce.”
“Hai. Ashita, Hobby-san.”
Sugi said as he ducked back
inside.
“I guess that means we’re
on,” I said.
Sugi wanted to sit in on a
$20/40 hold ‘em game with
the locals to check out their
play. Hobby and I went off to
separate tables. I tried Omaha
but I guess I’m too oriented
to Hold ‘Em. I used to think
a good poker player had to be
good at all games, but what
the hell. I only have to play
what I like—Seven or Hold
‘Em, and mostly the latter.
I spent the next few hours
doing just that. I had a hot run
and got ahead about two big
ones, but when Hobby tapped
me on the shoulder I was
back to about $500 ahead.
“We’re ready for dinner if
you are,” Hobby said.
“Yep. I’m finished. You
ready for a juicy steak,
Sugi?” I asked.
“Steak sounds good, but
maybe teppan yaki style. My
cousin opened a Japanese
restaurant in Little Tokyo. I
promised to come for dinner.
You will be my guests.” It
didn’t take any convincing
for Hobby and me to agree.
While the chef was flashing knives and preparing
shrimp on the large grill surface we made multiple toasts
of sake. Sake is a wonderful
drink. It is usually served hot
and it’s not high in alcohol,
but it has a way of sneaking
up on you—like a ninja warrior in the night. Sugi asked,
“Did you find out anything
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
21
Poker
Partying
A Joe & Hobby fiction by
David J. Valley
about my grandfather’s property?”
“Yes, we did,” Hobby
answered. He was getting a
bit giddy from the sake and
continued, “It’s one of those
good news/bad news stories.
The good news is that he
owned ocean front property in Ventura County. I can
imagine him sitting on his
patio watching the sun set as
he dreamed about Japan. Joe,
tell him the bad news.”
“Thanks for letting me
be the bearer of bad tidings.
Sugi, the problem is that this
section of coastline is subject
to pounding from heavy seas.
The land your grandfather
owned is now part of the
Pacific Ocean.” I wasn’t
ready for Sugi’s reaction—he
laughed like it was the funniest thing he ever heard.
Hobby and I joined in like a
couple of idiots, not knowing
what was so funny. When
the laughing subsided Sugi
explained, “I can’t wait to
tell my brother. He’s so antiAmerican; his big beef is that
Americans stole our family’s
22
land in California. I can’t
wait to tell him it was Mother
Nature!”
Sugi stood up abruptly to
greet a Japanese man who
approached our table. They
spoke a couple of minutes
before Sugi introduced him.
“This is my friend Tabu. He
now lives in Los Angeles.
He owns mah jong clubs and
he’s converted one to a card
room. After dinner, maybe we
can visit?”
“Sure,” I agreed.
Hobby nodded.
The club was only a
couple blocks away, upstairs
over a Japanese noodle shop.
Were it not for Tabu’s warm
welcome, the all-Japanese
crowd would surely have
shunned us. Since the tables
were nearly full, Sugi went
one way and Hobby and I
went the other, then seated
ourselves side-by-side. There
was no idle chitchat here,
only a few furtive glances
our way. I nudged Hobby
and whispered; “Check the
fingers,” as I nodded toward
a hefty player across the way.
The tip of his right index
finger was missing. The man
was likely Yakusa, a Japanese
gangster.
The players in our pot limit
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
game seemed conservative
with the exception of the big
Yakusa guy. He tried to bully
other players with big bets
they were reluctant to call—
except for Hobby. My friend
was on a hot rush and before
long he had cleaned out the
gangster. It got ugly as the
loser spouted off in Japanese,
some of which was translated
by a more dapper looking
associate. To our relief they
left. We played a couple
more hours. Hobby retained
most of his winnings; it was
a breakeven night for me,
a winner in my book. Sugi
was going to hang with his
friend so Hobby and I took
our leave.
As we walked down the
narrow alley to the street two
men—the Yakusa and his
companion—stepped out of
the shadows. The big guy
shouted something in guttural
Japanese. The other said,
“You cheated my friend and
he wants his money back.”
This was very scary, but
Hobby didn’t hesitate. “If
you can take it from me, you
can have it.” When that was
translated the hulk let out a
war cry and lunged at Hobby
who quickly side stepped
in matador fashion. As the
charging giant passed, Hobby
grabbed his arm and accelerated his rush into the side of
the brick building. Something
slippery on the walkway
caused Hobby to stagger
from his own momentum
while the bull bounced back
from the building like a rubber ball and grabbed him in a
bear hug.
Ugh. It was crunch time
for Hobby, literally. I cringed.
Hobby mustered all his
strength to resist the crush by
arching backward then suddenly he rammed his head
forward into the face of his
opponent. Crack! It sounded
like a yardstick breaking over
a knee. I hoped it wasn’t
Hobby’s skull. Apparently
not. Hobby repeated the
smashing motion several times. Visions of Woody
Woodpecker attacking a
telephone pole! It worked.
Mr. Monster let loose of my
friend who wasn’t satisfied
just to be free. He did a hip
toss that ended with the backside of the mug’s skull cracking against the pavement. He
was out cold and bleeding
profusely from his face.
I was standing slightly
behind the other guy, doing a
“watch my backside.” When
the man reached inside his
jacket I pressed my car door
opener hard against his back
and said, “Don’t make a
move or I’ll blow a hole in
your spine.” I reached around
and slipped an automatic pistol from his shoulder holster.
“You better look after your
friend before he chokes on
his own blood.”
I took Hobby by the arm.
He was reluctant to leave the
scene, “Time to exit stage
left, buddy.”
“Yeah.” He straightened
his jacket. “You figure he was
just a sore loser, Joe?”
“If he wasn’t before, he
is now. Bigtime sore loser.”
That got a chuckle from my
pal as we reached his car.
“Take my handkerchief
and wipe the blood from your
face and give me the keys.
I’ll drive.”
“Yeah, thanks. I’ve got a
bit of a headache,” Hobby
admitted.
“Don’t doubt it. Must be
from all that heavy thinking
playing poker.”
“Yeah,” Hobby grinned,
“maybe that’s it.”
Write to author David Valley
at: dvalley1@san.rr.com
Metaphysical Poker & Life
Charlie Shoten
In
my continuing
efforts to clear my
mind at the poker table I
am always on the lookout for thoughts that float
through my mind and cloud
my ability to make my best
decisions. What is going on
in my mind either allows
me to consider all of my
choices and their consequences and make my best
choice, or diverts me to
being a victim of stressful feelings that cause me
to act prematurely without
taking into account all
of the information available. These stressful feelings that are caused by
thoughts that don’t serve
me are my biggest enemy
at the poker table and in
all other areas of my life.
Stressful feelings do not
allow me to focus on all of
the pertinent information or
dangers and opportunities
that are continually arising during a poker tournament. They cause me to act
compulsively at times, and
to self-destruct at critical
times when every resource
at my disposal needs to be
utilized to win the tournament.
How can I tune into
my vast poker experience
from over a lifetime if I am
fantasizing about winning
the tournament, concerned
about my image at the
table, or having irrational
fear or depression? Few
ever bring this subject up
because it is baggage that
most of us have been carrying all of our lives, and
no one ever suggested to
us that we could do anything about it. It is assumed
that stressful feelings are a
permanent fact of our lives
that we must put up with
and learn to make the best
of. No one ever showed me
a simple way that I could
understand and use to free
myself from my stressful
feelings. In my experience, stressful feelings
have never been identified
and considered by anyone
as something that can be
eliminated forever. The
Distractions Hurt
Your Poker Game
medical profession mostly
prescribes pills that only
deaden the feelings until
they come back another
day. In the meantime our
deepest hopes, aspirations
and dreams are put aside
and we are thankful that
we are not suffering painful anxieties anymore if
we take a pill to feel less
stress. We certainly do not
win at poker as often as we
could.
I have always been a
victim of my stressful feelings and I am sharing with
you what I have learned
to do about them and how
I do it. What are stressful
feelings? Where do they
come from? What damage
do they do to us? What can
we do about them? If you
are not interested in this
subject and have made an
accommodation with your
stressful feelings and have
achieved success, money,
family, titles, medals, etc.
and you don’t wish to rock
your boat that is fine. But
if you really wish to feel
better by freeing yourself
from your stressful feelings
forever, read on.
If Sherlock Holmes
was presented with this
problem, he might have
addressed it much as I will
now. Stressful feelings are
caused by poisonous memories, ideas, thoughts and
beliefs. These have either
been implanted in us (mind
control), or we have created
them in response to being
neglected or abused. We
can either continue holding
onto them or identify them
and let go of them. We
sustain, harbor, feed, and
obey them mindlessly with
no thought of the damage
they do to us or the possibility of letting go of them.
Since stressful feelings
cause most of our mental
and physical disease and
also block out our creativity, dreams and passionate
aspirations. how can you
not want to free yourself
from them? Freeing myself
from stressful feelings has
become my #1 priority. I
am doing it 24/7 and hopefully even when I am sleeping. It is the most important
exercise I can do for myself
and my families well being.
Stressful feelings are contagious and are passed onto
all we come in contact
with. They are pollution of
the human spirit. They are
the reason we have been
killing ourselves and killing each other throughout
the ages. Many civilizations
have used sacrificial ceremonies. In many cases they
threw their dearest possessions into a fire to be free
of what they didn’t know
was their own thoughts and
beliefs.
At the poker table stressful feelings defeat me every
time. A particular hand I
played many years ago
comes to mind as a good
example. I had made my
way through 800 other
players and was in a good
chip position with 4 tables
left. If I was not experiencing stressful feelings
I would never have made
the choices I did. I looked
at two red aces and limped
under the gun (first to act
after the blinds). Five players looked at a flop of 2,3,5
rainbow. I was second to
act and made a fairly large
bet of (1-1/2 times the pot)
that one player called. I
immediately put him on a
set (three of a kind) or a
small pair and a straight
draw. I decided to lay my
hand down if he raised
my next bet. The turn card
was a 6. I made another
large bet and he made a
substantial raise. Before I
realized what I had done,
I called him, throwing all
caution to the wind by
ignoring my first decision.
I did not even consider my
position in the tournament,
the upside or downside if I
called, or any other important considerations. I knew
for sure he had a set or had
made the straight.
I mindlessly pushed my
money into the pot. On the
river, as luck would have it,
my third ace came. First to
bet I went all in. He called
me and showed me his two
fours for the straight.
All of my planning and
experience went out the
window at a critical time
in this tournament. I was
in agony and stress for a
month over it. I was furious with myself because I
knew better, had done this
many times before, and still
could not eliminate this
compulsive destructive play
from my game. I was very
unkind to myself. I am not
overstating this because
I was truly tormented by
those self-defiling thoughts.
The flow of my life was
disrupted and the stressful
feelings I had to endure if
continued, would not only
hurt my poker game but
could cause future destructive behaviors such as poor
eating habits, loss of sleep
and mental and physical
dis-ease.
I very rarely suffer from
this kind of mindless compulsive play at the poker
table anymore. I methodically walk my roadmap
and Ten Commitments to
help me notice and let go
of any thought that doesn’t
serve me. I have shifted my
life’s priorities from working harder and accomplish
more to relaxing and noticing the thoughts that appear
in my mind that cause any
stressful feeling. Cleaning
out distractions (memories,
ideas, thoughts and beliefs
that cause stressful feelings) allows me to act from
my most passionate desires,
feel better and be happier.
If you wish to make an
effort to free yourself from
stressful feelings, you can
review all my articles in
Poker Player Newspaper
at www.pokerplayernewspaper.com. Read my book,
“No-Limit Life”, or visit
my website, www.nolimitlife.net. If you wish to
share any experiences
related to my writings
that may benefit others,
please e-mail them to me
and I will consider printing them in a future article.
It would be very helpful
to me to receive feedback
and I would appreciate any
responses. Confidentiality
will be maintained if
desired.
Future articles will hopefully include reader’s
Responses, Questions,
Requests, Comments and
Experiences: charlieshoten@msn.com
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A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
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Read “No-Limit Life”:
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(Best Book Award:
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Category: Psychology/
23
What Is, What Was,
What’s It Matter?
NORTH BY NORTHWEST
By Byron Liggett
The “Spring Poker Round-up”, at the WILDHORSE Resort
& Casino, in the northeast corner of Oregon, outside
Pendleton, has become a Northwest poker tradition.
With events attracting well over 500 participants, it is the
largest tournament in this part of the country.
April 12-22, players from Seattle to Salt Lake, Portland to
Pocatello, Reno to Redding, will gather at Wildhorse. With
events attracting well over 500 competitors and $70,000
added, there’s expected to be nearly a million dollar in prize
money on the table!
Tournament Director and Poker Manager Roland Waters
knows what players want – ACTION! A distinguishing feature
of the WILDHORSE Poker Round-up is the live games. In the
spirit of “When it’s real it’s a thrill”, there’ll be about every
kind of limit you can and can’t afford.
An important characteristic of the WILDHORSE tournament is the honest, unpretentious western hospitality with
which players are welcomed and well treated. This is poker
in the American heartland. A chip and a chair and you’ve got
a vote.
Everybody will be there – the floppy ‘n sloppy, the pros
and cons, the best, the blessed, and all the rest. This is
where it’s at; if you’re not here, you better check your poker
player credentials.
Poker pro, tournament champion and now author, Vince
Burgio is host for the WILDHORSE tournament. Vince recently published Pizza, Pasta and Poker, an entertaining and
informative memoir of his life in poker.
Another interesting story is that of Rod Peate who was in
Reno recently for the Hilton’s “World Poker Challenge”. After
some years as a shift boss at the Hollywood Park Casino,
in L.A., he’s taken a similar position at the Muckleshoot
Casino, in south Seattle.
A graduate of Franklin High School, in Portland, Rod realized his passion and talent for poker when Washington legalized the game in 1973. After a few years of playing low limit,
Rod moved to Las Vegas to pursue his poker career.
Peate parlayed $25 in a $1,000 preliminary event into
a seat in the 14th annual World Series of Poker at Binion’s
Horseshoe. The WSOP began with 108 players, each of whom
put up a $10,000 buyin, $1.08 million in prize money.
At the end of the second day, Peate was in 15th place
among the 39 remaining players. By the end of the third day,
he was in first place with $389,000. At the Final Table on day
four, Rod busted three players. Eventually, just Peate and two
other players remained – Doyle Brunson and Tom McEvoy.
Rod used trip-9’s to dispatch Doyle when the legend failed
to flush. Heads-up with McEvoy, Rod had $666,000, Tom had
$414,000. They battled for seven hours. It was 1:30am when
Peate was beat.
It was 1983, Tom McEvoy won the World Series
Championship and $540,000. Rod Peate got 2nd Place,
$216,000, and a memory that is priceless.
And finally, a word about April Fool’s Day. Imagine, a special day of the year set aside in recognition of Man’s folly.
It’s an unusually frank concession to the human condition.
Poker has always been a fertile field for fools. It involves
money, desire, competition, and requires fast, final decisions
– perfect conditions for fools. The proverb, “a fool and his
money are soon parted”, has been traced as far back as the
16th Century.
Mark Twain understood that fools were important. He was
a poker player. Perhaps that is what led him to write: “Let us
be thankful for fools. But for them, the rest of us could not
succeed”.
Byron Liggett, originally from the Northwest, lives in Reno
and has been a gaming & poker writer, columnist and consultant for 25 years. email: byronpokerplayer@aol.com
24
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
Raymond Goes West
And my last question,
“You are among a very
elite group of women
that have been placed in
an influential position of
management for some of
the most successful poker
rooms in the country, to
what do you attribute the
success of these women?”
Raymond answered, “I
believe women may possess an intrinsic adapt-
ability to situations and
the environment. There’s
a degree of sensitivity and
compassion towards both
guests and team members.
We’re able to spontaneously adapt and react to
change that the industry
has seen in recent years.
Women have a nurturing aspect to their nature,
their poker room is like
their child, and they will
do whatever it takes to
have that child grow successful, confident and
prosperous.”
I would like to thank
Kathy Raymond for taking
the time out of her busy
pre-opening schedule to
speak with us at Poker
Player and extend our best
wishes to the team at The
Venetian on the success of
the poker room.
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28
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
Time. Some events
C start after the hour
...........AM, PM
O A,WkP................Week
..... Additional gameD &.times
on this day. Call.
E ........Hold’em
.No Limit Hold’em
.Limit Hold’em
N .............No Limit
L ................... Limit
.............Stud
..7-Card Stud
..5-Card Stud
........ Omaha
H/L .High/Low Split
Pi...........Pineapple
Po...........Pot Limit
Pn.........Panginque
Mx ..Mexican Poker
DC .Dealer’s Choice
MONDAY
•GOLD BAR DENOTES ADVERTISER
TIME
|
HH ...... Headhunter
B ............ Bounties
Sp .............. Spread
Al .........Alternates
Z........... Freezeout
Cz ................ Crazy
E..........Elimination
TUESDAY
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
Q ............... Qualify
Sh ...........Shootout
+ ..Re-Buys and/or
Add-Ons allowed
F ............... Freeroll
Lad ..... Ladies Only
Men ........Men Only
DAILY TOURNAMENTS
NOW! Get Tournament Listings at our website:
Note: All tournaments are subject to change. Check with the Cardroom for any updates. Cardrooms—
please send your schedules to Tournament Editor A.R. Dyck, ard@gamblingtimes.com
| WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
|
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
FRIDAY
| SATURDAY |
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
SUNDAY
GAMES BUY-IN
Aladdin
Caesars Palace
CALIFORNIA—
LOS ANGELES NEVADA NORTH
LAS VEGAS & NEVADA SOUTH
Circus Circus
Col.Belle-Laughlin
Flamingo Laughlin
Golden Nugget
Harrah’s Las Vegas
Luxor
Mandalay Bay
Nevada Palace
Oasis-Mesquite
Plaza Casino
Rio Suite Casino
River Palms
Riviera Poker Room
Speedway
Stardust
Virgin River Casino
Wynn Las Vegas
Atlantis Casino
Boomtown
Cactus Petes-Jackpot
Carson Valley Inn
Circus Circus
Eldorado
Harrah’s Reno
Harvey’s Tahoe
Rainbow Cas. W Wendover
Commerce Club
Hawaiian Gardens
DA I LY TO U R N A M E N T L I ST I N G S CO N T I N U E O N PAG E 3 0
Debbie Burkhead interviews(Continued
Lee Vinocur
from page 18)
TV screens positioned
throughout the room for
sports viewing, we provide
table-side food service and
butler service for the highlimit area. Our non-smoking room is designed for
extended play.
DB: Who is responsible
for making your job a little
easier?
LV: Hiring Kathy
Raymond as Director of
Poker Operations was
a major coup for The
Venetian. Her years of
experience and level of
guest services are a perfect
fit for the property. I‘m
excited to work alongside her and learn all I
can. Paul Pusateri, Senior
Vice President and Ken
Davenport, Vice President
of Gaming Operations
have given tremendous
support in making this a
successful endeavor. We
have assembled a terrific
management staff from
around the country. Ari
Mizarachi, formerly cardroom manager at the Las
Vegas Hilton, Greg Grivas
formerly of Bellagio and
the World Series of Poker,
Viviana Serrano, most
recently from Caesars
Palace and Tom Young,
from Foxwoods will serve
as shift managers along
with our Tournament
Director, Tim Mix coming
from Bellagio.
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
29
Time. Some events &. ........ Additional
Limit Hold’em
start after the hour
gametimes. Call. N ..........No Limit
A, P ....... AM, PM
..... Hold’em L ................ Limit
Wk .............Week
.No Limit Hold’em
..........Stud
MONDAY
CALIFORNIA—SAN DIEGO CALIF—
& INLAND EMPIRE
L.A.
TIME
B ......... Bounties
Sp ........... Spread
.7-Card Stud
..... Omaha Pi........Pineapple Pn......Panginque DCDealer’s Choice Al ......Alternates
.5-Card Stud H/LHigh/Low Split Po........Pot Limit Mx .Mexican Poker HH ...Headhunter Z........ Freezeout
DAILY TOURNAMENTS (CONT’D FROM PAGE 29)
|
TUESDAY
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
|
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
FRIDAY
Cz ............. Crazy + .......... Re-buys
E...... Elimination and/or Add-ons
allowed
Q ............Qualify
Sh ........Shootout F ............Freeroll
| SATURDAY |
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
SUNDAY
GAMES BUY-IN
Hustler Casino
Normandie Casino
Casino Morongo
Casino Pauma
Harrah’s Rincon
Lake Elsinore
Lucky Lady
Oceans Eleven
Sycuan
Viejas
Village Club
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Artichoke Joe’s
Bay 101
Cache Creek
California Grand
Casino San Pablo
Club One Casino, Fresno
Garden City
Gold Rush
Golden West-Bakersfield
Kelly’s Cardroom
Lucky Chances
Lucky Derby Casino
Oaks Card Club-Emeryville
Sonoma Joe’s
Blue Water Casino
Bucky’s Casino
AZ
Casino Del Sol
Cliff Castle
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Harrah’s Ak Chin
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Paradise Casino
Gilpin Hotel & Casino
Midnight Rose-Cripple Crk
Ute Mountain
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Harrah’s Prarie Band
NM
Cities of Gold
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Route 66 Casino
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Comanche Red River Cas.
OR
WA
Chinook Winds Casino
Blue Mountain Casino
Chips Bremerton
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Chips Lakewood
Chips Tukwila
DA I LY TO U R N A M E N T L I ST I N G S CO N T I N U E O N PAG E 3 1
Caro’s Word: “Talk”
CONT’D FROM PAGE 6
those opponents self-conscious and changes their
mood and their behavior.
They become more cautious
and less playful. You get
many fewer weak calls and
you make much less money.
30
In fact, serious players discussing technical strategy
that might only be worth a
few pennies of difference
can be costing themselves
hundreds of dollars. Not a
good trade-off, is it?
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
So, my advice is, when
you’re against weak players, blend in and don’t let
them know that you’re carefully scrutinizing their play.
You should be analytical, of
course, but you should keep
it to yourself.
This is “The Mad Genius
of Poker” Mike Caro and
that’s my secret today.
Mike Caro is widely regarded as the world’s foremost
authority on poker strategy,
psychology, and statistics. A
renowned player and founder of Mike Caro University
of Poker, Gaming, and Life
Strategy, he is known as
“the Mad Genius of Poker,”
because of his lively delivery of concepts and latest
research. You can visit him
at www.poker1.com.
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DAILY TOURNAMENTS (CONT’D FROM PAGE 30)
MONDAY
WA
|
TUESDAY
GAMES BUY-IN| TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
|
FRIDAY
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
| SATURDAY |
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
GAMES BUY-IN|TIME
SUNDAY
GAMES BUY-IN
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MT Black Jack’s Casino
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ND Dakota Magic
NE Rosebud Casino
SD
Dakota Sioux
Gold Dust Cas., Deadwood
Rosebud Casino
Silverado Casino Deadwood
CT
Foxwoods
NJ
Caesar’s Atlantic City
Harrah’s Atlantic City
Tropicana
Trump Taj Mahal
Akwesasne Mohawk
Majesty Casino Boar
NY
IA
Turning Stone
Catfish Bend
Isle of Capri
Winn-A-Vegas
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Hollywood Casino-Aurora
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Fast Answers About
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pokerplayernewspaper.com
Get us on the web!
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
31
PART 70,
Starting Hands
Today, let’s talk about starting hands
in Hold’em. Experienced players have
improving performance
Wyatt Earp
By TOM “TIME” LEONARD
Gambler,
Gunslinger, Lawman
a good feel for what constitutes a
good starting hand from various positions in Hold’em. However, this doesn’t mean that
certain opponents will not get out of line or that
many of them have a favorite hand to which they
assign some mystical power based upon a fortuitous outcome from a past encounter
In a recent session, a post hand discussion broke
out when the loser of the pot made the following comment to the player who was busy stacking a huge pot. “You three bet Jack/Ten offsuit
pre-flop?” The player who was busy stacking his
recent spoils smiled and replied, “Sure, it is the
best drawing hand in Hold’em because it can produce five different nut straights.” In my opinion,
here was a player who had done well with Jack/Ten
in the past and now would ram and jam every time
he held it.
Do you have a favorite hand that you push harder than you should because sometime in the past it
won you a big pot? I believe many players do have
a peculiar fondness for certain hands. I’ll admit my
affection for Ten/Seven suited which is rooted in a
past victory. Because a mediocre hand served you
well in the past does not mean it is somehow linked
to victory. Many Hold’em books include charts
overviewing starting hand values by position and
perhaps even weathered veterans should occasionally take a break for a review to reinforce how they
might be getting out of line due to superstition.
Certainly, Jack/Ten has the ability to result in the
aforementioned five nut straights but pre-flop it
is a mediocre hand at best. Sound like I’m being a
might too tight? Then maybe….just maybe you’ve
got too much gamble in you. Many lower mid limit
games seem to have the mantra of, “Tight isn’t
right!” Well maybe loose players can experience
big wins by playing lots of pots. However, if you
want to take down the money on a regular, consistent basis, don’t buy into that mantra. They want
you to play down to their level to produce multi-way
pots. Tight is right! Tight and aggressive play continues to be the winning formula in limit play. Sure
Jack/Ten is capable of making five nut straights but
that doesn’t mean it should be rammed and jammed
from any position under all circumstances. Play it
from proper position under the right circumstances
and it should serve you well.
Our goal for today is to take a fresh look at the
many published starting hand charts even if we
think we’re well beyond that kind of rudimentary
review. Many experienced players never go back
to review the basics because they believe they
have advanced far from that need. Then they allow
insidious leaks to enter their game for all kinds of
reasons. The most popular is the belief that they
can loosen up their starting requirements because
they feel they can outplay their opponents post flop
That is a slippery slope that many a good player
has succumbed to. Don’t you fall into that trap.
See you next “TIME”.
No stranger to the green felt, Tom “Time” Leonard has played
poker for more than 30 years and has been a serious student of
the game and writer on the subject since 1994. He has regularly
played the cardrooms of Atlantic City, Las Vegas and California.
His experience as a sales and marketing professional have
helped him hone his skills at “selling” a hand and “buying” a
pot. Tom can be contacted at: thleonard@msn.com.
32
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
By Byron Liggett
Gamblers, gunslingers and
gold miners first opened
the West in the decade
before the Civil War.
Frontier life was hard and
harsh. There was little law
and even less justice.
Wyatt Earp was born
in Monmouth IL in 1848.
He had four brothers:
James, Virgil, Warren, and
Morgan. His father and
two oldest brothers fought
for the Union during the
Civil War.
After the War, the Earp
family moved to San
Bernardino CA. There the
boys soon learned to hate
farming. As a teenager,
Wyatt got a job as a stagecoach driver and later as
a buffalo hunter providing
meat for railroad construction workers.
Following the Civil
War, railroads completed
crossing the continent
with a ribbon of steel
when Union Pacific and
Central Pacific met at
Promontory Point, Utah in
1869. The first permanent
settlements throughout
much of the West were
railroad towns.
The first prairie towns
developed as meeting
points for cattle trails and
the railroads. Longhorns
would be driven north
from Texas to the nearest
railroad towns where they
would be allowed to graze
and fatten up before being
loaded on trains bound for
the East.
These early railroad
towns, called “Hells on
Wheels”, were eager to
service the cattle drovers
after months on the trail.
They consisted largely of
gambling halls, saloons,
and houses of prostitution. Abilene, Wichita and
Dodge City were among
the most notorious Kansas
railroad towns.
Wyatt got a job as a
keno dealer in Wichita.
Gambling houses hired
tough men as dealers
because part of the job
was keeping order. Young
Wyatt, who proved he
could handle the job and
the cowboys, was soon
hired as a law enforcement deputy to help keep
the peace.
By the 1870s, Dodge
City emerged as the principal shipping point for
the herds from Texas. The
town had been founded by
saloon owners and liquor
dealers. It was wild and
wide open. One historian
described it as a “town
spinning out of control”.
Law enforcement in these
wild cattle towns meant
keeping the peace more
than solving crimes.
After going through
several marshals, Dodge
City hired Wyatt Earp in
1876 to keep the peace.
To assist him, Wyatt hired
another gambler and gunman, Bat Masterson, who
would become a lifelong
friend. During his first
year there were just two
killings, down from 70
the year before.
Another newcomer to
Dodge was dentist Doc
Holliday. Although he
still practiced his profession, Doc already had
a reputation as a hard
drinking gambler and
dangerous gunslinger. On
one occasion a group of
cattle drovers arrived in
town and decided to take
over a saloon. Marshall
Earp soon arrived and
started busting heads
and arresting cowboys.
When one of the Texans
drew his gun and pointed
it at Earp’s back, Doc
Holliday, dealing at a
nearby table, yelled at
Wyatt and shot the wouldbe bushwhacker. Having
saved the lawman’s life,
the two became close,
loyal friends.
Next, Wyatt, his brothers and Doc Holliday
headed for Tombstone AZ,
which had become a notorious haven for outlaws
and lawlessness. Virgil
Earp was the new town
marshal. Wyatt bought
a piece of the Oriental
Saloon where he worked
the gambling tables dealing keno and poker.
Ike Clanton and his
brother Billy together
with the McLaury brothers, Tom and Frank,
were Tombstone toughs
who engaged in robbing
stagecoaches, cattle rustling and killing resented
the Earps and the law ‘n
order they represented.
From the beginning there
were numerous incidents
between the Earps and the
outlaws.
The showdown came
in October 1881 at the
town’s stables, the O.K.
Corral. Virgil deputized his brothers Wyatt
and Morgan as well as
Doc Holliday and Bat
Masterson. With the
outlaws gathered at the
corral, the lawmen went
to take them in. Gun fire
erupted and when the
smoke cleared three outlaws were dead, only Ike
Clanton escaped. Wyatt
was the only lawman not
wounded.
The confrontation did
not end there however.
A month later Virgil was
ambushed and disabled
for life as he walked to
the Oriental Saloon. A
few months after that
Morgan Earp was shot
and killed. Wyatt blamed
Clanton’s gang and vowed
revenge. Eventually, he
and Doc Holliday hunted
down and killed several
of the men they thought
responsible.
After killing Frank
Stillwell, whom he
blamed for his brother
Morgan’s death, Wyatt
told his lawyer, “I let him
have both barrels. I have
no regrets”. Branded a
murderer, Wyatt stayed
on the run for some years
traveling throughout the
West supporting himself
as a gambler. He operated a saloon in Nome,
Alaska during the height
of the Alaska Gold Rush.
In 1901, he moved to
Tonopah NV, where he
operated a saloon and
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A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
33
2/14/06 10:44:34 AM
Perks and Picks
As we go to print, all eyes in Las Vegas will be focused on
the premier of the highly anticipated new poker room opening at the The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino this month.
At a reported cost of approximately $2.6
Card Room Roundup
The Bargain Bin
By H. Scot Krause
million, this poker room will raise the bar for
luxurious card rooms around the nation and
beyond.
At nearly 11,000 square feet, the Venetian Poker Room
will not only be among the city’s largest venues for this
classic table game but also its most exquisite –players will
appreciate the room’s rich leather and wood decor as well
as its thoughtful use of the latest technology. Rise to the
challenge of your choice – whether your preferred style is
Texas Hold ‘Em, Stud, or Omaha.
Operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in a smokefree environment, the main poker room will offer 32 tables
adjoined by 7 tables in the High Limit/Salon area. The Salon
room includes two relaxation areas, butler service and even
gourmet dining. Food service will also be available in the
main poker room.
Additional poker room amenities include complimentary
valet parking, safe deposit boxes for players, state-ofthe-art player tracking technology, adjustable chairs with
wheels for comfort and 21-42” plasma television monitors
throughout room.
Games offered will include Texas Hold ’Em (both limit
and no-limit), Stud and Omaha from $4-$8 limit to $4,000$8,000, all expected to be played regularly. A tournament
schedule will be announced after their opening.
On a much smaller scale, but still a significant development for poker enthusiasts in Las Vegas, the Fiesta
Rancho (owned by Station Casinos) steps up its poker
operations this month. Moving from 3 tables in the table
games pit area, a new dedicated poker room is opening
near the Race & Sports Book. They will open with 5 tables
and continue to offer daily no-limit poker tournaments at
noon.
An interesting twist…while most poker rooms are going
with smoke free environments, Fiesta Rancho’s card room
will welcome smokers. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em! Comp
rate for poker players is $1 per hour up to a maximum of
$12 per day.
Las Vegas visitors should also check out the Bellagio’s
Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. The recently completed
seasonal display welcomes flowers, butterflies and rain
with its colorful new Spring Celebration display. A pathway
through the east garden’s towering translucent poppies,
larger-than-life garden creatures and flowing fountains
greets visitors. At the end of the pathway, visitors find
bountiful rain showers, giant clusters of cherry blossoms,
and a majestic banyan tree in the west garden. In the
south garden, an exquisite 34-foot pavilion is an extraordinary habitat for the 300 live South American butterflies
that reside inside. A topiary frog rests on the pavilion’s
edge watching the butterflies as they fly above. In the
north garden, visitors discover ancient walls and piles of
fieldstone surrounding an iron and stone bench.
Visitors are invited to enjoy the Spring Celebration at
Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens through May
13. This is truly a great way to clear your mind and relieve
the stress from the poker tables! Enjoy!
That’s it for this week!
17225 Jersey Ave, Lemoore, CA
866.472.5223
Tachi Yokut Indians have
occupied the San Joaquin
valley for hundreds of
years. Tribe forefathers
were farmers, hunters,
fishermen and gatherers
of all of nature’s bountiful
offerings from this most
fertile of lands. The arriving settlers displaced the
Tachi Yokut tribe and their
way of life so for many
years the tribe fell into a
period of poverty, staggering unemployment and
despair. Today, thanks to a
compact with the state of
California, the Tachi Yokut
Indians again have fertile,
producing land in the San
Joaquin valley. The Palace
Indian Gaming Center in
Lemoore, California, is
just that land. The Tachi
Palace is a full service
casino (California doesn’t
allow craps or roulette)
catering to thousands of
happy customers.
So many happy customers that The Palace Indian
Gaming Center recently
completed and opened a
200,000 square foot addi-
H. Scot Krause is a freelance writer, gaming industry analyst and researcher, originally from Cleveland,
Ohio. While raising his three year-old son, Zachary, Scot
reports, researches, and writes about casino games,
events, attractions and promotions. He is a ten-year
resident of Las Vegas. Questions or comments are welcomed. Card room managers are also invited to send
your specials and promotions to: krauseinvegas@cox.net
34
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
www.thepalace.com
tion to the casino. The
casino offers slot players
more than 2,000 of the
most popular state-of-theart machines, guaranteeing
something to satisfy every
slot player. Blackjack
tables plus the familiar pit
table games compete for
the player’s attention on
the casino floor.
The Palace Indian
gaming Center is in central California, north
of LA and south of San
Francisco. The beautiful
San Joaquin valley has
some of the most productive farmland in the world,
producing fresh fruits
and vegetables for dinner
tables around the globe.
The casino is located
about an hour and a half
drive east from the Pacific
Ocean, or a 45 minute
drive south from Fresno or
an hour from Bakersfield
to arrive at a modern Las
Vegas style casino. Come
hungry and sample everything from a cut-above fast
food to a classic prime rib
dinner or maybe an elegant
Fine dining in space-age style
experience enjoying prime
steaks and seafood are
your fare.
The Palace Indian
Gaming Center is currently
finishing the construction details on the 266
room hotel that will open
late summer of this year.
Guest will find luxury
rooms and suites making
The Palace Indian Gaming
Center a new destination
for vacationers. The Palace
will become a favorite
place to stay while exploring the many wonders of
California including the
close-by wine country.
An additional wing of the
casino space similar to the
newly opened space is in
the works for the future
along with convention
space. If the above list of
amenities hasn’t convinced
you to visit The Palace
Indian Gaming Center then
maybe you should come
for the poker action.
The Tachi Palace Poker
Room is sixteen tables
strong. Poker Room manager, John Stewart, is a vet-
eran of almost two decades
of experience in the Indian
gaming business and he has
hands-on experience of all
the positions in a modern
poker room. John knows
what the young, new-age
poker player expects and
he caters to the veteran
poker players demands. A
class operation that keeps
the room full of players for
the Limit Hold’em games
in $2-$4, $3-$6, $4-$8
blinds and a $1-$3 blind
No-limit Hold’em with a
$60-$500 min/max buy-in.
The room will spread most
popular poker games that
have enough interest to fill
a table.
Regularly scheduled
poker tournaments are
offered twice with a $70
buy-in No-limit Hold’em
no-rebuy tournament at
7:00 PM every Tuesday. A
$15+$5 No-limit Hold’em
tournament with two $15
rebuys gets under way on
Fridays at 11:00 AM. The
Palace Indian Gaming
Center Poker Room is
sending ten players to
the 2006 World Series of
Poker $10,000 Main Event
in Las Vegas this summer.
The seats are offered as
prizes in a series of tournaments with the following
dates remaining at press
time, April 2, May 7, and
June 4. All WSOP qualifier
tournaments begin at noon
and the buy-in is $175 +
$25, no rebuys. Turn a
couple of hundred into millions at this year’s WSOP
Main Event. Contact
the poker room direct at
1.559.924.7751 x3137 for
complete details for all of
your questions about the
tournaments or live games.
The poker room has
various promotions and
cash giveaways on a daily,
sometimes hourly, basis,
another reward for playing in one of California’s
friendliest poker rooms.
There is no set comp policy; instead, players can get
casino style comps from
poker room management
depending on the time and
level of play, much like
old Las Vegas, before the
advent of player’s cards
and computer monitoring.
Just another welcomed personal touch that is really
appreciated, especially by
the veteran poker players.
The Palace Indian
Gaming Center presents
a modern poker room to
central California, a state
with a long history of legal
card rooms. To compete
with the old established
card clubs requires a poker
room that listens to its
players, reacts in a positive, timely manner and
provides a personal link
between staff and players, all in a comfortable
setting with easy access.
The Palace Indian Gaming
Center in Lemoore,
California has put together
a poker room that fills all
of these categories and
more. Stop by the Palace
Indian Gaming Center
Poker Room and enjoy
a helping of the friendly
atmosphere while you sample the lively poker action.
Play in one of the WSOP
Main Event tournaments,
do good, and I could
be shooting you in the
winner’s photo at the 2006
WSOP Championship.
—Joe Smith, Sr.
More views of the exciting Palace Indian property
r
e
k
o
P
a
g
n
a
h
c
e
P
PECHANGA OPEN
$200,000 Guaranteed Total Prize Pool
April 12 - 15, 2006
APRIL 12, 2006 - 6:30PM
APRIL 13, 2006 - 6:30PM
$20,000 No Limit Hold’em
$100 Buy-in, $40 Entry Fee - No Rebuy
APRIL 14, 2006 - 6:30PM
APRIL 15, 2006 - 4PM
Single table satellites for all events will run Mon — Thursday 11AM — 10PM
in March and April. Tournament participants mention code PKR0406 for
special hotel rates, subject to availability.
APRIL
TOURNAMENT SERIES
THURSDAY, APR 6
6:30PM
No-Limit Hold’em
$5,000 Guarantee
$35 + $15 Buy-in
FRIDAY, APR 7
6:30PM
No-Limit Hold’em
$10,000 Guarantee
$60 + $15 Buy-in
SATURDAY, APR 8
SUNDAY, APR 9
4PM
No-Limit Hold’em
$15,000 Guarantee
$80 + $15 Buy-in
4PM
No-Limit Hold’em
$5,000 Guarantee
$35 + $15 Buy-in
THURSDAY, APR 20
6:30PM
THURSDAY, APR 27
6:30PM
Ladies Only No-Limit Hold’em
$85 + $15 Buy-in
1st Place: $1,000 Buy-in seat World Series Ladies Only Event 2006
Last Chance No-Limit Hold’em
$10,000 Guarantee
$85 + $15 Buy-in
Last Chance No-Limit Hold’em
$6,000 Guarantee
$55 + $15 Buy-in
FRIDAY, APR 28
6:30PM
SATURDAY, APR 29
4PM
2006 Big Showdown Series Tournament $200 + $25 Buy-in
1st Place: $10,000 Buy-in seat to the 2006 World Series Guaranteed
SUNDAY, APR 30
4PM
No-Limit Hold’em
$5,000 Guarantee
$35 + $15 Buy-in
*Tournament Series replaces Daily Tournaments on dates shown.
Please see a Poker Room Floor Person for promotion details. Management reserves
the right to cancel or modify promotions without notice. Must be 21 or older to enter
Casino.
Poker Room Manager,
John Stewart
45000 Pechanga Parkway • I-15 • Temecula • 877.711.2WIN • www.pechanga.com
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
35
Bluffing and Statistics
SENIORS SCENE
By George “The engineer” EPSTEIN
Remember that there are two ways
to win a pot: Either (1) you have the
best hand at the showdown; or (2)
your opponents think you have the
best hand and fold before the showdown.
In the September 19, 2005 issue of
Poker Player, I described the “Esther
Bluff.” I have been keeping statistics
to evaluate its effectiveness. Here
are my findings. . .
What about bluffing?: Bluffing is
a poker strategy often used to force
out an opponent who may actually
hold a better hand than you. Most
often we do it on the river; sometimes on the turn and then carry it
through to the river. (When I bluff on
the turn, it’s usually a semi-bluff: I
have lots of outs that could lead to
the best hand. Then, on the river, I
may pull the Esther Bluff if I didn’t
connect and the situation seems right
to continue the bluff.)
Basically, you bet or raise – or even
reraise – to induce your opponents
to toss their hands into the muck. A
good time to pull the Esther Bluff
is when you have been drawing for
a straight or flush, made the bet
because the poker odds were favorable, but did not connect. You are
up against one, perhaps two opponents, and they show weakness; the
situation lends itself to attempt the
Esther Bluff. Bet out if you are first
to declare; and, by all means, bet if
they all check to you. It’s even more
effective if you have been winning;
now your opponents respect and fear
you. . .
There are poker experts who will
tell you that you can’t bluff in lower
limit games. I believe that is true for
stakes of $2-$4 and lower; on the
opposite extreme, we all know that
bluffing is a key strategy in no-limit
games. (Have you watched the action
on the TV poker tournaments?) The
higher the stakes, the more likely a
good bluff is effective. But, if you
do it well and against the “right”
opponents in the “right” situations,
it can work for you even in low-stake
games.
The Esther Bluff is really a way
to bluff: Bet with confidence; you
“know” you have the best hand!
A key factor to its success is the
kind of opponent you want to bluff
out. Timid and tight players are your
best targets. It’s less likely to work
against aggressive and deceptive
opponents. You can never be sure
against loose players. Generally, you
can’t bluff out a player who is almost
all-in; for a few more chips, he is
bound to call – just in case. . . Nor
should you bluff too often; then your
opponents will be suspicious and
more likely challenge you when you
36
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
try. What is too often?
That depends on the
game, the situation, the players. .
. On the average, I believe no more
than one bluff an hour seems about
right. (What do you think?)
Certainly, the situation and your
betting position should be considered. If you have been betting or
raising all along, then your opponents
are more likely to fold when you pull
the Esther Bluff on the river. It’s
foolhardy to try it against an opponent who has been betting consistently or raising; he must have a
hand of some value and is not likely
to give it up without a fight. It’s easier to bluff an opponent out of a small
pot; but the Esther Bluff has worked
for me in large pots too. It’s best to
pull the bluff if you sense weakness
in your opponents; that’s easier to
do when you are in a late position.
My statistics on using the
“Esther Bluff”: Admittedly, mine
is a limited sampling; but the general observations are worth noting.
In 15 sessions of $4-$8, my Esther
Bluff was effective in 33 out of 55
attempts. That’s a 60 percent success rate. It succeeded 50 percent
more often than it failed. Fantastic!
As a rule, you will break even if your
bluffs succeed one out of five or six
times. That’s because you win the
whole pot -- containing lots of bets
-- for the price of one or two big bets.
That’s a great investment!
(Note: In 11 sessions of $3-$6, my
Esther Bluffs worked for me in almost
58 percent of the attempts.)
Sure, in some of these hands
I may, in fact, have held a better
hand than my opponents; I’ll never
know. Even if we assume that was
the case in half of these “successful”
bluffs (that’s reasonable), I am still
way ahead with about 43 percent of
my “Esther Bluffs” being effective.
Usually, the bluffs that didn’t “work”
were when the opponent actually had
a hand worth calling with. On a few
rare occasions, he raised me with
a strong hand; I should have been
more cautious in those cases.
So, all in all, the Esther Bluff is a
great strategy even in games with
limits as low as $3-$6, albeit higher
limits certainly would be preferable.
. . . So readers, what’s YOUR
opinion?
George “The Engineer” Epstein is the
author of The Greatest Book of Poker for
Winners! (T/C Press, PO Box 36006, Los
Angeles, CA 90036). His new algorithm
booklet, Hold’em or Fold’em?, is a big
hit. He is currently writing a new book on
Rules & Strategies for WINNING at Texas
Hold’em. George can be reached by e-mail:
geps222@msn.com.
Book reviews
Operating A
Professional
Poker Room
by Nick Gullo
2006, 134pp, $39.95
Gullo Pens Vital
Reading For Poker
Poker might have become
the darling of the universe
recently but the game
has long suffered from a
major information gap.
Judging from the number
of how-to-play books on
the shelves, that
breach certainly
doesn’t apply to
instructions for
players but it’s
an area that truly
affects them, especially if they play
in brick-and-mortar cardrooms. That missing link, so to speak, is a
complete and standardized
instructional -- a book
or guide on how to run a
poker room.
Nick Gullo’s Guide to
Operating a Professional
Poker Room, with rules
and procedures, has
bridged the gap nicely.
With information that
includes a Texas Hold’em
Study Guide for beginners, the book should serve
those operating card rooms
in every state well but it
will also be a big help to
those who host their own
monthly event at places
like bowling alleys or pool
halls or country clubs.
The book, which contains 35 chapters and plenty of room to take notes or
make revisions as needed
for a particular situation,
is written by a veteran of
more than four decades in
the casino industry.
Gullo offers procedural
advice applying to all
poker games including
the specific role the dealer
has and situations where
a dispute might occur
along with detailed rules
the house or individuals
operating a game or tournament might want to post
for players to see immediately (especially those
touchy areas involving
table etiquette), misdeals
and when a player’s hand
is “dead.” Other topics
covered are a number of
rules and checklists for the
house to ensure the game
is honest; standard shuf-
fling and cut
procedures;
rules on
wagering and
rules employees must follow. All this information
will be a tremendous timesaving reference guide for
cardroom management
as well as for those who
hope to move on up from
dealer.
Sections on the rake;
rack chip rules; the responsibility of the chip runner
and the brush person are followed
by a major discussion and guidelines for dealing,
while small, but
important sections
examine situations
like a player missing the big blind or small
blind; general button procedures; kill pots.
Gullo has prepared
guidelines for the house
and dealers to follow for
most of the popular poker
games: games with community cards, high-low
games, draw, stud; deuce
to seven; high hand jackpots and bad beat jackpots
(which includes a sample
jackpot report form so
payments may be made
accurately).
The section on
Tournament Rules is one
of the most important,
with a good portion of the
material drawn from the
Tournament Director’s
Association, founded by
Matt Savage, David Lamb,
Linda Johnson and Jan
Fisher five years ago. This
includes an idea for card
room promotion -- specifically the “poker diary”
and how it will assist in
marketing and customer
loyalty and several sample
forms worth considering
for record-keeping.
This is an outstanding
professional effort by an
individual who deeply
cares about the gaming
industry, particularly about
poker and how players
should be treated. I’m sure
there will be suggestions
for additions and updating certain areas to keep
up with the ever-changing nature of the games,
but this book is one heck
of giant step in the right
direction.
—Howard Schwartz
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
37
Playing A Hand In a StraightForward Fashion Is The Right
Play Most Of The Time
NEVER PLAY Poker with
a man CALLed “DOC”
X
X
X
X
Poker Player
Each issue’s crossword puzzle
honors a poker celebrity and will
be about that person’s life.
Today’s puzzle honors poker
pro Jennifer Harman. Crossword by Myles Mellor.
ACROSS
By Dr. Scott Aigner, M.D.
Straight forward play in no limit hold em games
(both tournaments, satellites, and in live games) is
actually more deceptive and more profitable than
trying to induce a bluff when the pot is multi handed
and you are first or second to act. Players are less
likely to try a bluff on the flop because the pot is
protected.
In a raised pot the check raise works well to protect a one pair hand or when you are short stacked
and your check raise could still get called. Check
calling usually puts you into a quandary on future
rounds and against a solid player it usually doesn’t
pay off anyway. You will end up winning a small pot
or lose a big one. Just bet out and if anyone has anything they will call. If they don’t you move on to the
next hand.
It is especially important to build a pot by making
some kind of a bet on the flop in an unraised situation. You want to get your opponent to become
psychologically and monetarily tied to his hand and
the more money in the pot; the harder it will be for
him to release it in later rounds. You also have more
options available in regards to how much you can
bet on the last round to induce a crying call once the
pot has become sufficiently big. Players who slow
play vulnerable made hands will end up losing more
money than what they can gain in their deceptive
slow playing of a made hand.
It doesn’t mean you need to blow them out by making a big bet. That is why I advocate making a small
bet. In a live game I would bet about 1/3 pot. In low
blind no limit games you normally do not need to play
deceptively to get the money most of the time. In a
satellite or tournament I would bet around 1/2 pot.
The two times I slow play a hand is when I flop
quads and I want to let someone catch a second best
hand or when I flop a big hand and have an aggressive player behind me who will bet if it is checked
and there are not too many opponents in the hand.
In this situation I can win a little extra by slow playing a hand but in a multihanded situation and a loose
passive table I still like to lead out for a small bet.
You would be surprised how well this works when
there are several calling stations in the hand.
If I flop quads or a set in a heads up situation I
actually like to lead out with a small bet, especially
when the money is deep. Most players will call this
bet if they have A_K and possibly raise if they have a
big over pair. What comes on the turn dictates your
turn play. If it is a big card you can check raise them
if the amount of their turn bet makes them more
likely to call (i.e.: around 1/2 of their stack) or lead
into them again if you are both deep hoping that the
turn card did hit their hand as they will definitely
call. In a tournament situation I am more likely to
check raise if the money is not as deep or I am short
stacked. In a live game I am more likely to lead out
as I rarely allow myself to be short stacked. Next
time I will expand on playing in a straight forward
fashion. It really does work!
Dr Aigner is a board certified Urologist. He has multiple final table finishes in major tournaments including a WPO bracelet in 2001. You can contact him at
http://www.PokerStrategyForum.com
38
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
1. Organization founded by
20 across to promote organ
donation
3. See 1 down
10. Newhaven locale
11. Regret
12. _____ Violette
15. English gentleman
Word
card counter)
13. Hi!
40. Mamma ___ !
14. Losing weight strategy
41. Intelligence score
16. Part of a royal flush
42. Evelyn __
43. Star Wars Jedi
21. ___ Le
45. ___ Rose
23. ____ Ungar
47. Forty’s partner
25. Three threes
49. Fair odds
27. 19 across appeared on
this channel
52. ___ Raymer
17. Knock out, for short
29. What?
53. Overpowering hand
18. Playing the hand
32. ____ Vahidi
19. Top lady poker player
(goes with 31 across)
DOWN
33. Newport locale
1. 19 across occupation
before she became a pro
poker player (goes with 3
across)
34. 19 across husband
2. ___ Harrington
39. Zero
5. It is, abbr.
44. Plead for
6. ____ Seidel
46. Entry ___
31. See 19 across
7. Big ___ in California
48. Infrared, for short
36. Exercise, for short
8. Poker option
50. Manchester locale
38. ___ Uston (blackjack
9. Champion
51. Near, for short
20. Expression of surprise
22. Swallowed
24. ___ 500
28. Be friendly with
30. Has won Bellagio and
Commerce Casino
1
2
3
9
12
13
37. Breakfast food
5
6
10
14
17
4
35. Beats sixes
15
20
21
16
18
22
23
25
26
28
29
31
38
39
43
47
8
11
19
24
7
30
32
33
34
40
44
35
36
41
42
45
48
52
27
37
46
49
50
51
53
The correct solution to the puzzle will be found only at:
www.pokerplayernewspaper.com. It will be posted on the cover date.
Bike’s WOG
me. He would beat me all
the time.”
BICYCLE OF CASINO
EVENT #22
3/21/06
LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $1,000 +$70
PLAYERS 41
PRIZE
POOL
$41,000
nament, he explained, by
playing a patient, waiting
game, picking his spots,
and being able to lay down
big hands. He was struggling for much of the evening. The breakthrough for
him came when he refused
to be pushed out of a pot,
played his two nines against
Blakey, pulled in a lot of
chips, and went on from
there.
BICYCLE OF CASINO
EVENT #21
3/20/06
7 CARD STUD
BUY-IN $500 +$50
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Michael Mizrachi
Michael Mizrachi . . $18,450
Eric Mizrachi . . . . . . $10,250
John Bonetti . . . . . . . . $6,150
Jack Gevshenian . . . . $4,100
Edvin Davoudi . . . . . . $2,050
PLAYERS 63
PRIZE
POOL
$31,500
Judah Wins in MaxBet Finale
Another unusual ending
marked tonight’s $500 7card stud event. With three
players left, the money
was chopped, but there
was still the matter of who
got the win. Mel Judah
wanted the trophy, but he
slightly trailed retiree Kevin
O’Malley. Tournament rules
and points considerations
would not let it be taken by
anyone but the chip leader,
and suggestions for one
showdown hand or reversion to no-limit were also
turned down. In the end,
the players agreed to simply bet and raise the max
straight through. One hand
was played, Judah won with
jacks-up, and that gave the
well-known pro the lead,
the trophy and one more
win to add to his impressive
resume.
Mel Judah, born in
Australia, moved to the
UK and was a London
hairdresser before coming
a ful-time poker player. He
has two WSOP bracelets
in stud, was the Legends/
WPT champion in 2003,
and along with many other
wins, had back-to-back stud
wins at the Bike two years
in a row at Diamond Jim
Brady, just missing the hat
trick the third year when
he had a second-place finish. He also has a couple of
LAPC stud wins. “I should
play stud more often,” he
says. “I also enjoy high-low
and mixed games.”
He won tonight’s tour-
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Mel Judah
Mel Judah . . . . . . . . $12,600
Kevin O’Malley . . . . . $7,245
William Sheppard . . . $3,780
Stephan Borrero . . . . $2,205
Kevin Blakey AKA . . . . . . . .
“The Snake”. . . . . . . . $1,890
Randy Holland. . . . . . $1,575
Roger Watson . . . . . . $1,260
Robert Turner . . . . . . . .$945
100k Bluff is Key to
Phan Win
Two big hands (a straight and
flush) in the late stages propelled Tim Phan into the lead
in today’s $1,500 no-limit
event. But the key to his win
might have been a 100,000chip bluff against his final
opponent, Tony Abesamis,
because it left Abesamis
short-chiped and likely a little
on tilt. Phan, a talented young
pro who picked up $103,200
for his victory, also had two
six-figure cashes at Legends
and the WSOP last year.
This was a two-day event,
and the 18 players in the
money returned at noon.
At that point, Phan led with
95,200. Two hours later, the
final table assembled. Blinds
were 600-1,200, with 500
antes and 46:50 left. Tommy
San was now in front with
130,600.
On the third hand, Peter
Lee raised from the small
blind for his last 11,000. He
had A-Q and departed when
John Freeland flopped a set
of kings. Kevin “The Snake”
Getting Kicked Out
STUD SENSE
By ASHLEY ADAMS
It’s hard to believe that it
happened to me. But it did. I figure, at
the very least, it will be an interesting
and cautionary tale for the rest of you.
shift manager! Oh, and making any
disparaging remarks about the poker
room was also verboten.
I was visiting Las Vegas on what has
become bi-annual poker playing jaunt.
My mission was to research the state
of 7-Card Stud in the city – something
I reported on in two earlier Stud Sense
articles. It was also a good excuse to
tour many of the more popular poker
rooms.
I found the policies to be absurd. I
cashed out and took an empty seat
next to my friend who was still playing. When I told him about my question
and answer session he told me that he
wasn’t surprised because the guy sitting next to him had just been kicked
out for “not looking right”. He and I
agreed that we had never seen a place
like this.
My poker playing buddy Jim and I
decided to stop by a South LV Strip
Casino, after playing at a couple of
other rooms briefly. We had heard
some interesting reports and wanted
to check out the action for ourselves.
We arrived at about 1:00 AM, early
Monday morning.
Not more than ten seconds later, the
shift manager came over to me and
asked, sternly, if I would like to speak
to him away from the table. Perhaps I
should have been more accommodating, but I declined his invitation.
As was my habit, as soon as I was
seated in a game (no limit hold ‘em
as it turned out), I started asking the
dealer questions about the room – policies, rules, rake and time charges, etc.
I covered the same territory that I covered with the dozens of dealers in the
many other rooms I had visited during
my last couple of stays in Las Vegas.
Unlike every single one of the fifty or
so casinos that I had visited, my questions were not welcomed by the dealer
– or, as it turned out, by the shift manager. Perhaps this was because of my
reaction to what seemed like a rules
against everything. The more questions I asked the more absurd seemed
the policies.
There was no reading at the table. This
rule was strictly enforced – even poker
magazines were forbidden – and even if
reading didn’t slow the game at all.
Similarly, there was no listening to
IPODs, no cell phone use, and, just for
good measure, no electronic devices of
any kind were allowed.
Oh, and just to be thorough, I must
mention that the shift manager told me
that there was no writing at the table.
The dealer got defensive and angry
when I asked about the rake and directed me to the shift manager if I wanted
to know anything further. I left the
table, hoping for a warmer reception.
I was out of luck. When I asked about
all of the rules and whether I could
read them in a manual or rule book I
was told that this too was against the
rules – no reading the rule book – not
even away from the poker table and
under the direct supervision of the
The next thing I knew, two security
officers told me that I was to leave the
premises. Everyone at the table told
them that they had the wrong person
– which the person who “didn’t look
right” had already left as requested. I
was just sitting in the same seat.
The security guards looked at the floor
manager to see if there had been some
mistake. The shift manager made it
clear that I was to go – that there had
been no mistake. And so I was escorted out – forced to leave for asking too
many questions in a room that took
its rule book seriously – but wouldn’t
share it with any of its customers.
I went back in the following day, having made an appointment to speak to
the poker room manager about being
kicked out of her room. I explained
what happened. She said that she and
the casino believed in running a tight
ship – that customers preferred it that
way. She explained away my experience of being kicked out as a misunderstanding – but never apologized for
it. She also told me that I was forbidden to report the incident or use her
name. I agreed not to use her name.
But I refused to follow the one rule
that the First Amendment allows me to
break.
Ashley Adams is the author of Winning
7-Card Stud, (Kensington Press 2003).
He has been playing 7-Card Stud for 40
years—and profitably in casinos for the
past 10 years. He has played in casinos
all over the world, including England,
Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Hungary,
Canada and the United States, but
plays most frequently at at Foxwoods
Resort Casino in Ledyard Connecticut.
Professionally, he is a union organizer
and an agent for broadcasters. He can be
reached at: asha34@aol.com
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
39
Party Poker Cruise
Wendeen H. Eolis
gourmet fare. He invited
me to join in the fun. In
an after dinner tête-à-tête,
Matt talked about his next
poker show for the YES
channel and plans for the
new International Poker
Association Tour, which
is scheduled to open at
Hollywood Park Casino in
April.
The ship’s dining rooms
were filled with poker celebrities every night. Casey
Kastle, one of poker’s greatest advocates for enforcement of top shelf ethics in
tournament competition
enlightened me on the new
World Poker Association
while chowing down on
porterhouse. The WPA is a
not-for-profit organization
that seeks to unite poker
players around the world
and upgrade professional
ethics and standards in tournament competition; Casey,
Barry Greenstein and Kenna
James are among the founding members of this organization created by Jesse
Jones.
Poker pro Dan Alspach
and fiancé JoAnn Liu—both
poker champs—were regular
dinner companions during
my trip as were Mike Carson
and Steve Metzger, friends
of more than fifteen years.
To my surprise they both
suited up for formal dinners.
Mike recently arrived at the
final table of a WPT event
as the chip leader and Steve
came in second last year at
the Party Poker Million IV
No Limit Hold’em consolation tournament.
The Party Poker Million
offered unending choices for
rendezvous. I sipped sparkling water with longtime
friend and highly accomplished poker pro Marsha
Waggoner at a hideaway
at one end of the ship and
met up with WSOP bracelet holder Steven Zolotow,
one of my earliest friends
from the “big game” at the
Mayfair in New York during
the 80’s, in a lively cocktail
lounge a quarter of a mile
away.
By week’s end I had
dined, drank and danced
with, or at least chatted
40
up, most every “seasoned”
poker player on board,
including the residents of
the Presidents’ suites, which
were occupied by energetic WPA founder Jesse
Jones and the Shulmans. I
speak of Barry and Allyn
Shulman who hardly need
an introduction to anyone
in the poker world! Rumor
had it that poker prince
Phil Ivey had his eye on a
presidential suite for this
trip, but not before Jesse and
the Shulmans had snapped
up the fanciest digs on the
ship. According to one
well-placed source, Ivey
had offered to “buy out ” a
presidential suite from the
CardPlayer Magazine honcho but my mole said, “Ivey
was told he might have a
chance of getting Barry to
consider playing ball, but
that he was never going to
get his brainy, gorgeous,
poker-wise bride, Allyn out
of that fabulous room!”
There were many high
points on the Party Poker
Million V —especially for
poker’s newest millionaire,
Michael Schneider, who
plans to finish his university
studies and invest his windfall winnings with care. And
there was another magical
moment at the awards ceremony—as players were
given a glimpse into the
character of another poker
winner, Brian Saltus.
Brian Saltus, as every
seasoned poker tournament
pro will recall is the lawyer from Boise, Idaho who
won the innovative grand
finale event of the 2001
Tournament of Champions.
The “TOC” was founded
by Mike Sexton and Chuck
Humphrey. Brian’s victory
speech at that event left
everyone spellbound—especially TOC co-founder
Mike Sexton, as well as
Linda Johnson and Yours
Truly, who were handling
the commentary chores.
Brian Saltus took over the
microphone from us to
extend his humble thanks
for the opportunity to compete against poker greats TJ
Cloutier, Scott Nguyen and
“Miami” John Cernuto at
the final table, and for the
chance to share his win with
an adoring family as well as
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
an appreciative audience. He
added that winning the event
had cast an everlasting glow
over the sunset of his life,
noting his ongoing cancer
battle.
A few months later, in
the spring of 2002, Linda
Johnson of Card Player
Cruises and Mike Sexton of
Party Poker joined together
to honor Saltus aboard the
annual PPM Cruise. They
lauded his heart and courage at the table and his
strength beyond the baize.
And so was born the Brian
Saltus Award. Recipients
have since included
Maureen Feduniak, Robert
Williamson III and Barry
Greenstein. This year, the
powers that be turned the
tables on Linda, leaving
her out of the loop in the
selection process. Linda
Johnson was this year’s
recipient of the Brian Saltus
award—“for her long and
tireless contributions to the
industry and her unwavering
commitment to do all she
can for the good of poker.”
The surprise presentation
was made by her eloquent
business partner and good
friend, Mark Tenner.
With the awards ceremonies complete, it was
time to party again! A talented group of poker players
mounted the stage, one after
another, to strut their stuff.
My buddy Kenna James
sang lovingly to his wife,
Marsha, and my longtime
friend Michael Carson made
those piano keys sing before
we took off for a last supper and a joyous end to the
Party Poker Million festivities.
Ms Eolis was elected to
the inaugural Professional
Poker Tour, and has
received a corporate sponsorship at the 2006 World
Series of Poker. She also
has recently been filmed
for a planned poker-related
movie. By day, Ms. Eolis is
the CEO of EOLIS, a legal
management consultancy.
She devotes significant
time to public service as
Task Force Commander
of Hope’s Champion and
has served as first assistant
senior advisor to Governor
Pataki and previously as an
advisor to Mayor Rudolph
Giuliani.
National Poker
Association Tour puts
Poker on World Stage
LAS VEGAS, NV – The
next great chapter in the
Book of Poker is about to be
written. It is a global poker
tour including both national
and international venues.
“The world has embraced
Poker. It’s time for an international poker tour that
will bring together the best
players in the game through
a series of tournaments
held across the U.S.A. and
beyond and be the first real
tour” explains Matt Savage,
the new Tour’s consultant
and Tournament Director.
Players must qualify to win
the $1,000,000 top prize.
Each tournament in the
series throughout 2006 and
2007 will be broadcast on
national television and will
culminate in multi-million
dollar events.
The initial volley of
fire will take place at the
Hollywood Park Casino,
May 8-20. There the
National Poker Association
Tour will conduct the
“Hollywood Park Open”,
maiden event of the new
National Poker Association
(NPA).
The initial “Hollywood
Park Open” will feature all
star competition. Among
the events are No-Limit
Hold’em contests with buyins ranging from $300 to
$10,000. There will also be a
$5,000 Chinese Poker event
and a $5,000 mixed game.
The Open will conclude with
a $10,000 No-Limit event
and a guaranteed prize pool
of $2 million dollars!
There’s an exclusive
qualification process to
determine who will play
in the $10,000 buyin Main
Event. Players can qualify
in one of three ways: be
invited by the NPA, by being
certified as one of the “Top
200” players in the world,
or by earning their way into
the event through satellites
at the tournament location
or through online qualifier
competitions.
According to Tournament
Director David Lamb,
the new NationalPoker
Association Tour will is
organized and structured
much like the Professional
Golf Association (PGA)
Tour. “We’re taking Poker
competition to the next,
worldwide, professional
level”, he told POKER
PLAYER.
To sign up,
contact:
Stan Sludikoff
310-674-3365
srs@gamblingtimes.com
Jerry Reed
650-327-4810
jr105@sbcglobal.net
Dick Gatewood
702-456-7777
*ASK FOR POKER ROOM
DickGatewood@boydgaming.com
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
41
The “OK-J” Poker Player’s Code
BacK in the saddle Again
By OKLAHOMA JOHNNY HALE
Poker players do not always win
and it is difficult sometimes to
understand the fickleness of
the cards when they are playing
poker.
When my daughter “Oklahoma
Sarah” sings at the poker events
that I host, I always request that
she sing to the poker players
one of my favorite poker songs-“Luck be a Lady Tonight,” and I
request that she always sings as
well in sign language—
“You have to know when to
hold them and know when to
fold them” (Yes, OK Sarah will
sing at “The Oklahoma Johnny
Open Poker Tournament” in
Tulsa. (This event will be at the
Cherokee Casino and Resorts on
April 6-9, 2006).
When poker players ask me,
“Do you always win?”—I usually
respond, “No, I put my pants on
one leg at a time, just like you.”
Some of the young whippersnappers, who have not used up all
their luck, may just run and jump
into their pants and tell you that
they win all the time. Then I tell
them, “You really just have about
three chances to be a successful
poker player...”
#1—You must pick your parents
very well, and if you miss that
one, you must...
#2—Marry well. And if you miss
that one, you must...
#3—Play like HELL. But I use a
little of my writer’s privilege and
make that read “Play like HALE.”
Now, here is the “OK-J” Poker
Player’s Code to live and play
poker by.
A poker player should go quietly
amid the noise, smoke and clatter
of chips in the poker room and be
at peace while he takes his seat
at the poker table.
The poker player should remember what peace there is in silence
and as far as possible without
surrender to be on good terms
with all the other poker players.
The poker player should speak the
truth quietly and clearly while he
carefully listens to others. And
agree that even the dull and the
ignorant poker players have the
right to speak their story.
42
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
Avoid loud and
aggressive players
because they can be vexatious to
your poker playing spirit. If you
compare yourself with these poker
players you may become vain and
bitter.
Remember that there will always
be greater poker players with
more skill and ability than you! But
there will be lesser poker players
with less skill than you!
Keep interested in how you can
improve your own poker playing
skills! It will be really important
and valuable to you and will cause
you to count more or less money
when you go on home to count
your poker bankroll.
Exercise caution in how you play
each poker hand, for the other
players are trying to learn all of
your poker playing tells.
Be yourself—do not feign affection—you came to play poker.
Take kindly to the counsel of the
years, gracefully surrendering the
things of youth.
Nurture your strength of spirit to
shield you in the sudden misfortune of a bad beat.
Do not distress yourself with imagining or calculations of the number of outs that you had working
for you—or how lucky they were
to outdraw your hand and hit that
one-outer (the only card that they
could possibly win the pot with).
Many poker fears and loses are
born of fatigue and loneliness. Be
of a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself and like yourself,
or no one else will like you.
Therefore be at peace with the
poker gods—whatever you conceive
them to be.
With all its sham, drudgery and
losing hands, poker is still a beautiful game. Strive to always be
happy as you play!
Until next time, remember to Stay
Lucky!
Editor’s Notes: You may contact OK-J
at his e-mail Oklajohnny@aol.com, or
play poker LIVE, ONLINE with Johnny,
Carol and Sarah at www.OK-J.com.
Johnny’s book, “The Gentleman
Gambler,” is in its third printing.
Contact Johnny for your copy.
ally became a consultant
and friend to the early
(Continued from page 34) Hollywood cowboy stars.
The last of the Earp
gambling hall.
brothers, Wyatt died in
Doc Holliday, too,
continued to frequent the Los Angeles January 13,
1929 at the age of 80.
saloons and gambling
A hero of America’s
joints throughout the
frontier, Wyatt Earp was
West. He engaged in his
last gunfight in Leadville a gambler, a gunslinger,
and a lawman. As such,
in 1884. Acquitted of
he became a courageous
all charges, Doc passed
symbol of the men who
away three years later.
tamed the West. .
In the early 1900s,
Wyatt settled in
California and eventue-mail: byronpokerplayer@aol.com
Wyatt Earp
TUSCANY
Suites & Casino
255 E. Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, Nevada
702-947-5917
Daily Tournaments 7 Days a Week!
Registration 9:00 am * Tournament 10:00 am
$22.00 Buy-In Includes $3.00 Entry Fee
$10.00 Re-Buys First Hour
Cracked Aces!
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm * 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm * 3:00 am - 5:00 am
Chips!
Get Pocket Aces beat and Receive $50 in Chips
Coming Soon!
Bi-Monthly Free Roll Tournaments
$5,000 Guaranteed Prize Money
Must be 21 years of age or older. Management reserves all rights.
See Tuscany Poker Room for Rules and Details on all Promotions
Winnin ’O’ The Green at the Bike
Blakey arrived lowest chipped
with 6,300. A few hands later
he called a raise all in from
the big blind with 8-7 and
stayed alive when two 8s
flopped. Martin Matranca,
a young Florida pro, questioned his call. “I was getting
4-1 odds, don’t you understand the game?” the Snake
chastised him.
Blinds changed to 8001,600 with 200 antes. Blakey
survived a second time, then
moved in again on the next
hand with pocket 10s, Lan
had pocket queens, made a
set, and stepped on the Snake.
Next to go, on hand 45,
was mortgage banker Mark
Bryan. He moved in with
A-Q suited and couldn’t do
anything against San’s pocket
kings. Two hands later, Jeff
Wilson, a mortgage broker,
was all in with 10-8. A flop
of A-10-9 gave him some
hope, but he couldn’t overtake
pocket jacks, and finished
seventh.
Four more hands went by,
and another player dropped.
With a flop of 10-5-2, John
Freeland, holding pocket 7s,
pushed in for 21,000. Rod
Dingler flipped up pocket
deuces for a set, and Freeland,
an investor, cashed out sixth.
Returning from the next
break, San still led with
roughly 205,000. Behind him
were Dingler, about 110,000;
Abesamis, 100,000; Phan,
75,000; and Matranca, 20,000.
We were now playing 1,0002,000 blinds and 200 antes.
Numerous hands went
by without any showdowns.
Finally, an all-in Phan took
44,000 from Abesamis, Q-Q
versus 8-8, and then an all-in
Abesamis got it back, plus
900 more, from Dingler, A-5
versus K-Q.
On hand 83, blinds
increased to 1,500-3,000 with
500 antes. Dingler, a homebuilder, went all in two hands
in a row. The second time,
pushing in 55,000 with A-6,
he was called by Matranca,
who had pocket 10s. The pair
held up and Dingler cashed
fifth.
Two big hands now got
Phan into the lead. On hand
90, holding 6-5, he had a nut
straight on a flop of 8-7-4.
He flat called when San bet
30,000, checked the turn, then
bet 40,000 and got a call on
the river. He now had about
170,000. On hand 105, the
flop came Qs-8c-6s. Holding
Qd-10s, San moved in for
52,000 with his paired queen.
Phan called with Ks-8s. The
river brought a 9s, giving
Phan his flush and leaving
San fourth, as Phan moved
into the lead with more than
200,000.
On hand 109 Matranca
had 10-7 in the big blind, and
was delighted when the flop
came A-10-7. He quickly
called with his two pair when
Abesamis moved in for
117,000, then was shocked
when Abesamis turned over
A-10 for top two. Down to
less than 50,000, Matranca
recklessly threw it all in on
the next hand with only Q5. Phan called with A-5, the
board came K-8-6-A-3, and
we were now heads-up.
At the next break six minutes later, Phan led, 283,000233,000. With blinds at 2,0004,000 now, chips moved back
and forth for nearly 20 hands.
Then, on hand 133, with
about 95,000 in the pot and a
board of Ad-Q-10d-3d, Phan
bet 100k. Abesamis folded
unhappily. “Show me a 5-7,”
he said. “Close,” Phan replied,
turning up a 5-8 offsuit. Phan
now had about a 3-1 lead,
and the match lasted another
nine hands. At the end, with a
board of Q-6-3-5, Abesamis
moved in with Q-8. Phan
turned over pocket aces, and
this tournament was over.
Tim Phan has been playing
poker for some 13 years and
full time for six. However,
for family reasons, he doesn’t
play as much as he used to.
He plays side games more
than tournaments, preferring
$400-$800 mixed games. He
had a great year in 2005, collecting $304,000 for finishing
24th in the WSOP main event,
and $291,000 for coming in
fourth in the Legends/WPT
championship event. The year
before, he picked up$148,000
for winning the Hustler
Casino’s Grand Slam of Poker
championship. (The key hand
in that event was a sensational
one where he made quad
nines to beat Young Phan’s
kings-full, with most of the
chips in play in the pot.)
Phan, who describes him-
self as a “passive/aggressive”
player, said he was confident
that his 100,000 chip bluff
would succeed because there
was an ace and three diamonds on board when he bet,
and he knew that Abesamis
would need at least two pair
to call.
BICYCLE OF CASINO
EVENT #20
3/19/06
NO LIMIT HOLD’EM
BUY-IN $1,500 +$80
PLAYERS 172
PRIZE
POOL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
$258,000
Tim Phan
Tim Phan . . . . . . . . $103,200
Antonio Abesamis . . $49,020
Martin Matranca. . . $24,510
Tommy San . . . . . . . $15,480
Rod Dingler . . . . . . . $11,610
John Freeland . . . . . . $9,030
Jeff Wilson . . . . . . . . . $5,160
Mark Bryan . . . . . . . . $5,160
Kevin Blakey . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AKA “The Snake” . . . $4,515
43
Entertainment
Listings
Entertainment RePORT
By LEN BUTCHER
I very seldom go ga-ga over anyone, but I make a few
exceptions every so often. One of those exceptions is
Vanessa Williams, who will be appearing at Harrah’s
Rincon Thursday, April 13. I have always been a fan of this talented and
very beautiful performer, whether it’s on the big screen or as a singer.
I finally got to see her perform live a few
months back when she took the stage at Lake Las
Vegas under the moonlight -- a perfect setting
for her and the orchestra. She has an incredible
voice and the one attribute that makes a star,
other than their talent, and that is likeability. She
exudes warmth, charm, elegance, yet you can still
Vanessa Williams picture her as a soccer mom or a neighbor you
might see working in her garden.
She comes by this image honestly, having been born in a small town
in upstate New York called Millwood in 1963, to parents who were both
music teachers. She started out her musical career as a child, learning
to play the piano and French horn., but it wasn’t long before her parents realized she had even more to offer and she was soon performing
in school plays.
When she graduated from high school, she attended Syracuse
University, majoring in musical theater. It was at university that her
life took an unexpected turn. She was talked into entering the “Miss
Syracuse Pageant” and to no-one’s surprise, won, followed by a win
in the “Miss New York” contest. It seemed only fitting, then, that she
would go on to become Miss America in 1984.
With this victory, however, came a hard truth. She was constantly
reminded that blacks did not want her known as the “First African
American Miss America” because to them she was not black enough.
On the other hand, she was hated by whites because she had taken the
crown from the many white women on the stage who, in their eyes,
deserved it much more.
Not a good position to be in, but something in her past soon made
it all a moot point. As a teenager, Vanessa worked as a photographer’s
assistant/secretary, however she considered the photographer a personal friend of hers. Somewhere along the line, he had persuaded her
to take a few nude pictures that would be just between her and him and
would never be seen otherwise. Years later, those same pictures were
sold to Penthouse magazine who published them, costing Vanessa her
crown.
This took its toll, but soon Vanessa was saying, “once you hit rock
bottom the only place to go is up.” And, man, did she ever. Since
then, she has had 14 Grammy nominations, won over 30 music awards,
appeared in movies like Soul Food, Eraser and Dance With Me as well as
made-for-TV movies. And finally, realizing a life-long dream by performing on Broadway in Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Along the way, she also raised a family of four children: Melanie,
Jillian, Devin and Sasha Gabrielle. She really is a woman who can and
does, do it all. Make sure you catch her show if your in the San Diego
area April 13.
Another performer who has overcome some personal obstacles
is comedienne Margaret Cho, who will be appearing at the Pechanga
Resort & Casino April 22. This very funny lady has had an interesting
career, winning the American Comedy Award for Best Female Comedian
in 1994 and then becoming the first female Asian American to have a
television series based around her. The sitcom was called All American
Girl, but unfortunately, was canceled after one season.
Her desire to make the show a success led to decisions that affected
Cho’s health. Her rapid weight loss caused serious kidney failure. Once
she got this under control, she used it for material in her first onewoman show, where she dealt with her difficulties breaking into show
business due to her ethnicity and weight. This was turned into a successful movie, and also led to more specials, which dealt with her growing up in San Francisco in the ’70s and her own bisexuality.
I gotta warn you that much of her comedy can be sexually explicit,
so if this might offend you, stay home. If it doesn’t, you’re in for a fun
night.
Len Butcher, a 25-year resident of Las Vegas, is an
online columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal
and a former Managing Editor of the Las Vegas Sun
and of Gaming Today. Reach him at lennylv@cox.net
44
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
Poker Player Advertisers are shown in RED along with their ad’s page number
To list your event, contact Len Butcher, Entertainment Editor at lennylv@cox.net
ARIZONA
Casino Arizona
CALIFORNIA
Tanya Tucker
May 15, 7 & 9 p.m.
Agua Caliente Casino
Comedy Shop
8:30 p.m. Featuring three top comedians
weekly.
Joker’s Comedy Club, Karaoke Thursdays 8 p.m.
Sunday-Wednesday, 9 p.m.
Fridays & Saturdays, 9 p.m.
Thursdays 8 p.m. to Midnight, Sundays 2-6 p.m.
Fridays 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Thursday through Monday
Presents Banda Nortina Sats 8 p.m.-3 a.m.
Apr 6, 8 p.m.
Apr 13, 8 p.m.
Live Jazz, Tues. 8 p.m.
Apr 22, 8 p.m.
Arena Patio
DJ / Karaoke
Live Bands
Ballroom Dance Party
Cambodian Dance Party
Crystal Casino & Hotel (43)
Karaoke
El As De Oros Night Club
Toni Braxton
Fantasy Springs Resort
Vanessa Williams
Harrah’s Rincon
Finish Line Lounge
Hollywood Park Casino (7)
Pechanga Resort & Casino (35) Margaret Cho
CONNECTICUT
John Mellencamp
Foxwoods Resort Casino
Coldplay
Mohegan Sun Casino
NEW JERSEY
Sheryl Crow
Taj Majal Hotel & Casino
Tropicana Casino & Resort The Temptations
(Atlantic City)
NEW YORK
John Mellencamp
Turning Stone Casino
NEVADA-LAS VEGAS
Nine Inch Nails
Aladdin Hotel & Casino
Magician Steve Wyrick
Donn Arden’s Jubilee!
Bally’s Resort & Casino
O
Bellagio Resort & Casino
Binion’s Gambling Hall (28) Live Music in Keno Bar
Boulder Station Hotel & Casino (8) Morris Day & The Time
Celine Dion
Caesar’s Palace
Cannery Hotel & Casino (33) Leslie Gore
Thunder From Down Under
Excalibur Hotel & Casino
Anthony Cools, Uncensored Hypnotist
George Wallace
Wayne Newton
Flamingo Las Vegas
The Second City
Commerce Casino
Gold Coast (18)
Forever Plaid
Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino Gordie Brown
Clint Holmes
Harrah’s Hotel & Casino
Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino (9) Legends In Concert
Barry Manilow
Las Vegas Hilton (15)
Menopause, the Musical
Hairspray
Luxor Resort & Casino
Carrot Top
Mandalay Bay Resort &
Casino
Mamma Mia
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KA.
Impressionist Danny Gans
The Mirage Hotel & Casino (11)
Damon Wayans
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Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino (42) Randy Anderson
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Apr 28-30, 9 p.m..
Apr 5, 8 p.m.
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Ongoing, Wednesday through Monday, 7 & 10 p.m.
Sat-Thu, 8 p.m.
Fridays through Tuesdays, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Fridays & Saturdays 8:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Apr 14, 8 p.m.
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Apr 14, 8 p.m.
Fridays through Wednesdays. 8:30 & 10:30 p.m.
Thursdays thru Tuesdays, 9 p.m.
Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 p.m.
Thru April, 7:30 p.m.
Thursdays through Tuesdays, 8 p.m.
Tue thru Sun (dark Mon), 7:30 p.m.,
Sun 3 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Fri thru Tue, 7:30 p.m.
Monday through Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Mondays through Saturdays, 7 & 10 p.m.
Mar 29-Apr 1, 9 p.m.
8 p.m. nightly Sat thru Thu
Ongoing, Thu thru Tue, 7 p.m.
Sun thru Fri (dark Tues), 8 p.m. & Sat, 7 & 9 p.m.
7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays; 8 p.m.
Fridays; 7 & 10:30 p.m. Saturdays, Mondays.
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8 p.m. nightly
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Nightly, 10:30 p.m.
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Playing Pocket Aces
When you look down at your hole cards
and see those pungent eyeballs look-
KILLER Poker
By John Vorhaus
ing back, your blood races, your heart
pounds, and your hands begin to sweat. It’s a natural
reaction to pocket aces. After all, you’ve got the best
possible hold’em hand. Everyone else is chasing you. In
this instant, many players have an urge to drag (slowplay)
aces. May I suggest that you fight this urge? Around here
we have a saying:
SLOWPLAY ACES, GO TO HELL
Here’s why, in three easy reasons.
1. When you slowplay aces, you let bad hands see cheap
flops. Maybe the small blind completes with 7-8 suited
and flops a 9-6-5 straight. You don’t put him on a made
hand, so you blithely bet out, only to face a raise. Now
your bile rises -- how dare he raise your aces? -- so you
reraise. Next thing you know, you’re all in and drawing
dead, just because you let some piece of cheap cheese
into the pot.
2. Pocket aces don’t like a lot of company. Yes, they’re
a preflop favorite against any other single hand. They’re
even a favorite against two or three other hands. As soon
as they face four foes, though, your pocket aces become
an underdog to the field. We raise with aces, then, not
just to drive out crap hands but to preserve the edge our
aces have.
3. Don’t you want to earn some scratch? How will you do
that if you don’t get some money into the pot. Antonio
Esfandiari’s simple strategy for no limit hold’em is this:
Build a pot, then take it away. That strategy works especially well when you hold a powerhouse like magic bullets.
In the face of all this compelling logic, why do we drag
our aces, ever? The answer is really not strategic, it’s
emotional. Aces come along so rarely that we don’t want
to waste them. We want to make big money from our big
hands. We’re afraid if we raise, everyone will fold, and
we’ll have nothing to show for our big aces but some piddling blinds. Know what? That’s not the end of the world.
At least you didn’t let 8-7 suited in for cheap and take
you off your whole stack.
Anyway, if everyone runs for cover when you raise with
aces, you’re probably not raising often enough with other
hands. You do want to be raising, you know, with sufficient frequency so that your foes won’t put you on a
premium hand every time you push in some serious dosh.
So here’s a thought:
DON’T SLOWPLAY ACES -- FASTPLAY OTHER HANDS
That way, when you raise with aces, your foes will figure
it’s just another one of your frisky attempts to be a big
hairy bully. They won’t put you on aces and they will pay
you off. Good times.
2006 WORLDWIDE
POKER TOURNAMENTS
NOW! Get Tournament Listings at our website: www.pokerplayernewspaper.com
>Denotes Advertiser; Poker Association Events also denoted: t=World Poker Tour,
s=World Series of Poker and e=European Poker Tour.
To list your 3-day events contact: A.R. Dyck, Assistant Publisher, at: ard@gamblingtimes.com
DATE
EVENT
Apr 5-26
Five Star World Poker Classic
Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV
>Apr 6-9
Oklahoma Johnny Hale Open Cherokee Casino in Tulsa (AdPg 19), Cartoosa, OK
>Apr 10-30
Stars & Stripes
Bicycle Casino (AdPg 3), Bell Gardens, CA
>Apr 12-15
Pechanga Open
Pechanga Hotel & Casino (AdPg 35), Temecula, CA
Apr 12-22
Spring Poker Roundup
Wildhorse Casino, Pendleton, OR
Apr 18-24
WPT Championship
tBellagio, Las Vegas, NV
Apr 20-24
Oasis Open
Oasis Hotel & Casino, Mesquite, NV
Apr 28-May 11
World Series Event
sCaesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV
Apr 29-May 8
St. Maarten Spring Poker Showdown Sonesta Maho Beach Hotel & Resort, St. Maarten, N.A.
Apr 29-May 8
WSOP “Warm Up II”
Garden City Hotel & Casino, San Jose, CA
May 3-7
Western Canadian Poker Classic Casino Yellowhead, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
>May 4-17
The Mirage Poker Showdown tMirage (AdPg 11), Las Vegas, NV
May 5-7
Montana State NL Hold’em Poker Challenge The Brick Sports Pub, Great Falls, MT
May 5-21
Heavenly Hold’em
Commerce Casino, Commerce, CA
>May 10-24 American Poker Player Ch’ship Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel (AdPg 28), Las Vegas, NV
>May 11-21
Spring Pot of Gold
Reno Hilton, Reno, NV
May 17-21
Turning Stone Classic
Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, NY
May 18-28
World Series Event
sHarrah’s New Orleans, LA
>May 22-Jun 4 America’s Poker Classic
Jun 4-11
Battle of the Bay
Lucky Chances Casino, Colma, CA
Jun 6-16
World Series Event
sHarrah’s Lake Tahoe
>Jun 8-19
Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge II Cherokee Casino in Tulsa (AdPg 19), Cartoosa, OK
>Jun 24-Jul 26 Mini Series
The Bicycle Casino, Bell Gardens, CA (AdPg 3)
Jun 26-Aug 10 World Series of Poker
sRio, Las Vegas, NV
July 1-16
Orleans Open
Orleans Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Jul 25-29
Grand Prix de Paris
tAviation Club of France, Paris, France
Aug 3-Sep 1
Legends of Poker
The Bicycle Casino, Bell Gardens, CA (AdPg 3)
Aug 30- Sep 3 Edmonton Poker Classic
Casino Edmonton, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Sep 5-24
Calif. State Poker Ch’ship
Sep 17-21
Borgata Poker Open
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, NJ
>Sep 28-Oct 15 Big Poker Oktober
Oct 4-8
Canadian Poker Championship Casino Yellowhead Edmonton, Alberta
Oct 5-21
Fiesta al Lago V
Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV
Nov 3-19
Holiday Bonus
Nov. 8-18
Fall Poker Roundup
Wildhorse Casino, Pendleton, OR
>Nov 23-Dec 10 Turkey Shoot/Ho-Ho Hold’em Bicycle Casino (AdPg 3), Bell Gardens, CA
Dec 1-19
5 Diamond World Poker Classic Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV
>Dec 18-23
Heavyweight Championship of Poker Sam’s Town (AdPg 31), Las Vegas, NV
POKER
ON
TV
Celebrity Poker Showdown.
Apr 5-8, Apr 10-15, Apr 17-22, Apr 24-29.
(Check local listings for times). Bravo.
E! Hollywood Hold’em.
Thursdays. 10:00 PM. E!
A P R I L 1 7, 2 0 0 6
Poker Superstars Invitational.
(Check local listings for stations).
Sundays 8 PM. Fox Sports.
UltimateBet.net Poker
Challenge. (Check local listings for
times/channels). Fox Sports.
Inside Poker. (For local times/stations, check www.insidepoker.tv).
World Poker Tour. (Check local
listing for times). Travel Channel.
Learn From the Pros. (Check
local listing for times). Fox Sports.
World Series of Poker. (Check
local listing for times). ESPNC/ESPN2.
[John Vorhaus is the author of Poker Night and
the Killer Poker book series, and news
ambassador for UltimateBet.com.]
Poker Royale: Battle of the
Ages. Tuesdays 2 AM ET. GSN.
High Stakes Poker. Mondays 9PM,
8PMc. GSN
So the next time you look down at your hole cards and
see those pungent eyeballs staring back at you, stifle all
feelings of entitlement and concentrate on the task at
hand: protecting your big pocket pair and making sure
you get some profit from the hand.
46
LOCATION
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Transcription

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