November 2009

Poker blog round-up: INTERNETPOKERS, Kyle Million, Chuck and Astincubed

Matthew Pitt / 20 November 2009 / Leave a comment

After a very frustrating week where my internet connection would have been better if I had tied some string to a couple of tin cans, I finally have my cable service restored. So without further ado, here is this week's...Read more »

Over betting

Marcus Bateman / 20 November 2009 / Leave a comment

With 'Isildur1' still taking on and beating all comers, it seems a good time to look at one of the aspects of his game that makes him relatively unique amongst the high stakes players - his tendency to over bet...Read more »

The Yanks and the Banks: The UIGEA and the Future of Online Poker in the U.S.

Short-Stacked Shamus / 20 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Those of us who enjoy playing online poker in the United States have experienced a number of ups and downs following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, also known as the UIGEA....Read more »

British poker player arrested for alleged murder!

Dave Allan / 19 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Marcus Bebb-Jones, 46, has been arrested at his home in Kidderminster over the alleged murder of his wife of 12 years and now face extradition to the United States of America....Read more »

When to push edges in tournaments

Marcus Bateman / 19 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Most weak multi table tournament players make two key areas of mistakes when they play in tournaments in terms of when they try and push their perceived edges, and recognising them and taking advantage of them is crucial in taking...Read more »

Poker hierarchy and islands of ability

Marcus Bateman / 18 November 2009 / Leave a comment

One of the greatest features of high stakes poker (and one of the things that makes it such an exciting world to play in or observe) is that you have constantly changing hierarchies. Much like how empire's rise and fall,...Read more »

Biggest online pot ever!

Dave Allan / 17 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Earlier today, at a Pot-limit Omaha table with $500/$1,000 blinds, the largest pot ever seen online took place between Patrik Antonius and the mystery man Isildur1....Read more »

Isildur1 continues to dominate

Dave Allan / 16 November 2009 / Leave a comment

As reported last week, a mystery Swedish player has burst onto the high-stakes scene and has been quite literally destroying all that dare to challenge him....Read more »

Sizing players up

Marcus Bateman / 16 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Poker is a game where it is important that you have as many options as possible, not only in your arsenal, but also being used at a frequency that balances your game and makes you hard to read....Read more »

Jeffrey Pollack resigns as WSOP Commissioner

Dave Allan / 13 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Poker lost a friend today as Jeffrey Pollack resigned from his post as WSOP Commissioner with immediate effect, in order to "explore new business challenges."...Read more »

Poker blog round-up:Amatay, Bonus Chasing Grinder, Littleacornman and Claire Macgregor

Matthew Pitt / 13 November 2009 / Leave a comment

It's Friday the 13th and I have spent the day avoiding black cats, not stepping under ladders and looking out for werewolves and when I wasn't doing that I was looking for some blogs that I thought you might like....Read more »

Exploiting edges

Marcus Bateman / 13 November 2009 / Leave a comment

In his excellent book "Amarillo Slim in a world full of fat people" Amarillo Slim makes the excellent observation that: 'You can shear a sheep many times, but only skin him once'....Read more »

The Betfair Interview: James McManus

Short-Stacked Shamus / 13 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Last week I reviewed Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker by James McManus, and mentioned there that I had the chance to interview the author. McManus and I spoke by phone a couple of weeks ago, just before he was...Read more »

Neil Channing robbed in Dublin

Dave Allan / 12 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Popular British poker pro Neil Channing recently lived up to his nickname, "Bad Beat", after being robbed in Dublin whilst playing in a poker tournament....Read more »

Bluffing weak players

Marcus Bateman / 12 November 2009 / Leave a comment

There is an old poker saying that states that you 'cannot bluff an idiot'. Although this statement has its points, it is not completely true, and learning how to bluff very weak players is critical to maximising your win rate....Read more »

Just who is Isildur1?

Dave Allan / 11 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Every couple of months a new "face" appears at the high stakes tables to rub shoulders with the big names of online poker....Read more »

Swing, swing, swing

Matthew Pitt / 11 November 2009 / Leave a comment

I've been super busy over the past few days with the World Series of Poker drawing to a close but I've still managed to find time to play some poker, and HUSNG once again in particular....Read more »

Arms races

Marcus Bateman / 10 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Nearly all competitive areas of life fundamentally come down to an 'arms race' between the participants. This is simply because as each individual improves, the others have to catch up, advance further, or die....Read more »

Joseph Cada wins the 2009 WSOP Main Event

Dave Allan / 10 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Joseph Cada, a 21-year old from Shelby Township, Michigan has become the youngest-ever World Series of Poker Main Event Champion after defeating Darvin Moon heads-up....Read more »

Joseph Cada and Darvin Moon prepare to do battle for the WSOP title

Dave Allan / 09 November 2009 / Leave a comment

After a staggering 17.5 hours of play the November Nine were whittled down to just two players who will return to the felt at 2200 Las Vegas time (0600 UK Time) and play a heads-up battle for over $8,500,000 and...Read more »

Antoine Saout busts as WSOP Main Event reaches heads-up stage

Dave Allan / 08 November 2009 / Leave a comment

He came, he battled away, he fell just short of glory. We are talking about Frenchman Antoine Saout, the man who qualified for this amazing event for a fraction of the cost through an online satellite....Read more »

Eric Buchman cannot shoot the Moon

Dave Allan / 08 November 2009 / Leave a comment

A No-limit poker tournament can completely change over the course of a single hand and that is exactly what happened to Eric Buchman. One minute he was controlling the 2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table, the next he finds himself...Read more »

Jeff Shulman fails to make it a father and son WSOP double

Dave Allan / 08 November 2009 / Leave a comment

We will never know if the controversial editor of Cardplayer, Jeff Shulman really would through away his WSOP bracelet as he initially said he would do if he won, as he has been eliminated in fifth place....Read more »

Steve Begleiter is "Greensteined"

Dave Allan / 08 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Before the start of the WSOP Main Event Final Table, Darvin Moon announced he was nowhere near the best player on show and he was only there because he had been smacked in the face with the deck. Having already...Read more »

WSOP dream is over for Ivey

Dave Allan / 08 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Phil Ivey's dream of winning bracelet number eight came to an abrupt end when his hands was outflopped by logger Darvin Moon....Read more »

Kevin Schaffel heads for the rail as his aces are cracked

Dave Allan / 08 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Like London buses, two eliminations at the final table of the WSOP Main Event have come together, with Kevin Schaffel now heading for the rail after a cruel of bad beat....Read more »

James Akenhead eliminated from WSOP Final Table in 9th position

Dave Allan / 08 November 2009 / Leave a comment

James Akenhead's WSOP is over for another year as he is eliminated in 9th place, the first player to leave the final table....Read more »

Being table captain

Marcus Bateman / 06 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Table presence is one of the most important features of poker, and establishing yourself as the 'table captain' can pay massive dividends if done correctly....Read more »

Poker Book Review: 'Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker' by James McManus

Short-Stacked Shamus / 06 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker, the latest offering from James McManus, has finally hit the shelves. The nearly 500-page work carefully compiles poker's colorful history into 52 chapters -- one for each card in the deck -- providing both...Read more »

Poker blog round-up: Dave "Bruce" Lea, Hoopie1, Dublin Belly Busters and I Had Outs

Matthew Pitt / 06 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Welcome back faithful readers, once again the weekend is upon us which means it is time for the weekly blog round-up. There's actually some poker content this week (shock-horror) so lets get cracking and delve right in....Read more »

2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table Odds

Dave Allan / 05 November 2009 / Leave a comment

The final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event is only two days away and I am as excited as a kid in a sweet shop. I am not overly excited about having to stay up and...Read more »

Ziigmund loses a bet but gains a tattoo!

Dave Allan / 04 November 2009 / Leave a comment

The majority of poker players will bet on anything. Whether it is credit card roulette after a meal with friends or betting what flavour lollipop comes out of the vending machine if there are odds available they will bet on...Read more »

'Beat Kunku at his own game' Challenge

Dave Allan / 04 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Tuesday evening saw the launch of the "Beat Kunku at his own game" Challenge on Betfair Poker with Kunku Wap (Betfair Pro John Tabatabai) finishing second out of the 21 runner field narrowly missing out on the $3,150 first prize....Read more »

Avoiding distractions when playing online poker

Dave Allan / 03 November 2009 / Leave a comment

One of the biggest problems encountered by many players when they first start playing online is how easy it is to be distracted. Although there are distractions in live card rooms, such as sports being played on screens around you,...Read more »

Doyle Brunson's autobiography to be released November 11

Matthew Pitt / 03 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Doyle Brunson, probably the most iconic figure in poker, has finally penned a book about his life and it is due for release two days after the end of the WSOP Main Event Final Table on November 11....Read more »

2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table: The Chip Leaders

Dave Allan / 02 November 2009 / Leave a comment

We conclude our little preview of the upcoming WSOP Main Event Final Table with the three players with the most chips, The Chip Leaders....Read more »

FML!

Matthew Pitt / 02 November 2009 / Leave a comment

The title of the post sums up how I feel about things at the moment, I am running worse than Heather Mills without her artificial leg at the moment. During the past week, life variance has kicked me square between...Read more »

Dealing with new players

Marcus Bateman / 02 November 2009 / Leave a comment

When playing online, most of the players you will ever encounter will be completely unknown. This is because most players only play short sessions online, often play different stakes and games depending on their mood, and generally do not become...Read more »