Poker Technology Improves with Bitcoin

It would seem that one of the new popular methods of banking, earning money, and an actual type of currency, Bitcoin, is going to be an accepted and used method when playing online poker. This will open up all kinds of door for the millions of poker players around the world. I know there are thousands of people that are “mining” bitcoins, and now that many different places are accepting bitcoins, like for online purchases, trades, and many different uses already.

This seems like the next step towards opening the doors for online poker all over the US. The reason for this is because it wouldn’t be your regular form of currency, and since it is all done online, it may be easier to use on online poker sites. Although, you won’t really need any form of currency when playing free online poker, but it will certainly come in handy when more US States start legalizing, licensing, and operating online poker.

There are many benefits to being able to use a virtual currency, as it would open up so many doors to different players from across the globe. There was always a need to find certain poker sites that would accept your main kind of currency, whether it was US Dollars, Euros, or even the British Pound. This would cause one of two problems:

• Limited to players that use that currency
• Require players to convert their currency

I don’t know if many of you have converted currency, but it can be a hassle, and you could even lose money on the exchange. However, with more and more people accepting Bitcoin as a universal and virtual currency, it may brroweak down those borders.

California; another Year and no Online Poker

I have always thought that California would be one of the US states that would welcome into their legislation the idea of legalizing online poker. It would seem the state is also looking to try and work things out so that online poker can be played legally, but they are being held back. With only a few more weeks in the legislative session, Democratic state Sen. Lou Correa of Santa Ana decided it was best to postpone the proposal until the next year, so that they could polish the details.

However, it isn’t only that the senator wants to make sure the proposal is perfect, but there are other forces acting against online poker. The owner of Las Vegas Sands Corp., Sheldon Adelson, has been pretty open about his dislike for online gambling; where he has even invested a nice amount of his money to stop legislation in this matter. Adelson has spent $306,000 in the past nine months to stop the online poker bill from passing in California, but what makes things worse is that California doesn’t even have any intention on legalizing any other forms of online gambling, just poker.

This would make Adelson the Grinch in the matter, seeing as how he believes that if online gambling is permitted all of his casinos would lose money. This has already been proven to be false in Delaware, New Jersey, and especially Nevada; where it seems gambling in casinos has actually risen. You can thank big time poker events like the World Series of Poker, and other big name poker tournaments that use actual casinos to hold their events. This has increased the amount of poker players to actually go and play at the casinos.

They are totally different experiences, and each person should have the right to decide which they would prefer. I know that if Adelson kept up with technology, he would be advocating for the legalization of online poker, just so he could introduce his online Sands poker rooms and casino. Besides, what seems to be happening is that in order for an online casino to operate they must be licensed through a brick and mortar casino. In the end, people’s irrational fears will delay the inevitable for only a while, since change will always win.

WSOP Final Event, Just Nine Remain

We have finally reached the final event of the World Series of Poker, the No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. It started out divided into 3 different days; A, B, and C. Those that lost on the first day of A or B would have the chance to buy back in during day C. This allowed huge crowds of players to try to stay in and participate in the main event; it totaled 6,683 participants this year. Everyone was looking to make it to the final table, where they would have their chance at $10 million dollars and the coveted WSOP bracelet.

However, only nine players remain who had to fight hard to get to the final table. There is, however, an honorable mention for a man, an amateur playing in his first ever WSOP who was able to make it far enough to end up in 12^th place and winning $565,193; his name is Christopher Greaves. He is truly a testament to what amateurs can do if they gut it out and play the game well.

Back to the top nine poker players in the world at the moment, as most of them are not as highly recognized as the other famous pros. So far, the chip leader count is at:

1. Jorryt van Hoof: 38,375,000
2. Felix Stephensen: 32,775,000
3. Mark Newhouse: 26,000,000
4. Andoni Larrabe: 22,550,000
5. Dan Sindelar: 21,200,000
6. William Pappaconstantinou: 17,500,000
7. William Tonking: 15,050,000
8. Martin Jacobson: 14,900,000
9. Bruno Politano: 12,125,000

This is what I love about the WSOP and poker itself; it gives anyone the chance to make it to the final table. A few of the top nine players have no history winning at WSOP, while the others, with the exception of Jacobson, have not had big winnings during their time at WSOP. It is refreshing to see unfamiliar faces at the final table, and it looks like all of them are quite young; meaning most of the older pros were knocked out by baby faces. Hopefully they can give us all a great last table of poker.

WSOP Coming to an End; Great Tournament

The World Series of Poker is, regrettably, coming to an end soon, as they have already began their final main events. It has been an amazing tournament so far, and all that is left the three No Limit Hold’em events. Each of these events has a $10,000 buy-in, with many players that are knocked out of A and B, tend to flock to the Event C to try their luck once again. There is a huge reason for this; actually there are 10 million good reasons for trying again, not to mention the bracelet and fame.

Looking back throughout the events, I can honestly say that a few events, as well as players left an impression on me.

Event #2: Mixed Max No Limit Hold’em

I have always enjoyed how Vanessa Selbst played poker, and she certainly did prove that she is indeed a pro. Out of the 131 entries, she managed to make it to the final table, where she beat Jason Mo during a face-off and came out the winner; adding another WSOP bracelet, totaling 3 so far.

Events #3, #18, and #46

During these three events, one of my favorite poker players managed to get 1 bracelet win, and come in second place in the other two. Brandon Shack-Harris has certainly made his name, fame, and fortune during this year’s WSOP. He won Event #3, came in second in the other two, as well as coming in third during Event #43; he also played in another two events. All of that gave him a total of $1,416,110 in winnings so far. I certainly hope he is playing the main events, as I would like to see him take the bracelet of the most prestigious event in the WSOP.

Event #50: Eight Game Mix

It is always great to watch how a pro can simply take over and dominate, and that is what Phil Ivey did during this event. This marks a historic moment for Ivey, as he won his 10^th bracelet, which is fitting seeing as how the WSOP is celebrating its 10^th year at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino.

Hold’em Hands; Adding Some Strategy To The Luck

I have heard it so many times that poker is a card game that depends entirely on luck. I would have to say, when playing right, luck only accounts for 40% of the outcome. Sure, we have seen many great poker hands end up losing when the river is turned, but that is where the 40% of the luck comes in. The other 60% of the time, playing poker is truly skill. Usually, a poker round starts even before the cards are dealt, seeing as how many of the players like to banter and talk the entire time, while others use silence as their weapon. Well, after all that, the cards are dealt, and that is when the game starts. Some fold, others check, and the aggressive player raises; all of this depending on their starting hand. Take a look at the No-limit Hold’em Event #33 final round, where Dutch Boyd walked away with the bracelet and $288,744 in cash.

Boyd was holding an , while his opponent Steven Norden had a . Well, according to which poker hands should be the best to start with, you would need to go with Boyd, as he held the high card; even if Norden had the flush draw. In the end, Boyd came out on top when another Ace was turned on the river, giving him two pair, enough to knock Norden out and get his third WSOP bracelet.

Among the strategies that you want to pay attention to and take advantage of, placing the importance on your starting hand should be a priority; especially if you are going up against the pro’s. It is quite easy to learn what poker hands are the best to start with:

• Obviously high pairs are always great to have, the higher the better. For instance, if you get a pair of Aces, I hope you play the entire hand in a way that will draw in your opponents to the slaughter-fest, or simply go all-in right at the start after some baiting.
• High, same suited cards. If you have an Ace and a Queen of the same suit, that will give you a nice advantage over your opponents.
• High, off-suited cards. I have seen many players win by simply having the high card in their hand, so don’t knock it.
• Other pairs. There are certain pairs, like 6’s or 9’s, that will give you some advantage, statistically speaking.

This simple guide will help you analyze your starting hand much better, which will help you avoid placing a bet on a 3-8 off-suit; which I have had happen to me. Remember, start your strategy basing it off your starting hand. This works mostly for Hold’em, but you can apply it to the other types of poker that follow similar rules.

A Couple Great WSOP Events

With the World Series of Poker still going strong, there are always certain events that catch my eye. I certainly enjoyed watching the 3rd Event:Pot-Limit Omaha, where a great poker player Brandon Shack-Harris was able to come out with the victory; with it being his first WSOP bracelet and winnings of $205,634. He also went on to get 2nd place during Event #18: Seven Card Razz, so you can be sure he will continue his success.

The next event I have a personal fascination over, with the thousands of participants, 7977 to be exact, all aiming towards the bracelet and the million dollar cash prize for the winner; Event #8: Millionaire Maker No-Limit Hold’em. This event obviously took a few days to get to the final table, but I always enjoy the banter between players, whether they are pro’s or not. The event winner, Jonathan Demmig played a great tournament, and came out on top. Demmig is actually relatively unknown, as he got on the map in 2011, but now he has a bracelet and $1,332,982 to back his career on. It was an impressive victory, even if he was knocked out early on in Event #21: No Limit Hold-Em; taking 105th place out of 2,043 participants.

The latest event that caught my attention was Event #19: No-Limit Hold’em. At the final table sat John Hennigan, a poker pro that you have probably seen on more than one occasion. His opponent was Ted Gillis, a relatively unknown player who only started playing in these big poker tournaments in 2013. Gillis was reserved as the other players at the final table kept knocking each other out, until there were only three players left at the table, Gillis being one of them. That is where Gillis turned into a much more aggressive poker player; which really caught me by surprise, seeing as how he had not done much up to that point. He focused on Dejan Divkovic, who had done him the favor of eliminating some of the players at the table.

Gillis had an against Divkovic’s , where he pushed all in and came out winning. With that previous victory, Gillis was now chip leader, making it easier to battle it out against Hennigan. Gillis held against Hennigan’s , after going back and forth, they finally went all in, with Gillis yet again coming out on top. I couldn’t believe it, and neither could Gillis, but it was a splendid final table.

This goes to show that playing passive or aggressive has its advantages, and Gillis certainly made use of both at the right times. Gillis walked away with his first WSOP bracelet and $514,027 in his pocket. Hopefully this former marine from Texas will play in other events this year, or the next.

WSOP In Full Swing, and The EPT Has Ended

It has been a great week for poker fans from all over the world seeing as how the EPT Main Event was an amazing show of skill and luck, and the WSOP has already begun, with 5 events going on right now; Event #1 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em Event has ended with Roland Reparejo taking the victory away from Corey Emery, and the cash prize of $82,835.

The End of the EPT

The end of the European Poker Tour has come, and the poker players are now looking forward to the WSOP that is going on right now. However, the end of the Main Event in Monaco was nothing but surprising. Down to the last two players, poker favorite Jack Salter was up against Antonio Buonanno at the final table. The Buonanno was holding  while Salter had . Buonanno was first to act, as he raised, where Salter quickly went all in, and Buonanno called. The final hand wasn’t that exciting, as the final cards were    ; with Buonanno taking his first EPT victory, along with €1.24 million. It certainly wasn’t the most exciting way to end the tournament, but it was a well played hand.

The WSOP Starting Events

The WSOP started a couple of days ago on Tuesday, May 27th with its first event, the Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em Event; as mentioned above. With this event over with, there are a total of 5 other events going on currently:

Event #2: Mixed Max No-Limit Hold’em: Only two players left on the last day, Jason Mo (5,860,000) and Vanessa Selbst (3,960,000). It is certainly going to be a hard battle for either one of these great players, with high hopes for Selbst.

Event #3: Pot-Limit Omaha: Steve Billirakis is the current chip leader with 961,000, with only 6 other players left out of the 1,128 participants that started.

Event #4: No-Limit Hold’em: On its second day, out of the 2,224 entries, there are only 186 players left, with Miguel Proulx taking first place in chip count (120,500).

Event #5: Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball: Mike Peltekci with his 171,100 chip count, takes the lead ahead of the remaining 54 players.

Event #6: No-Limit Hold’em Shootout: This event is just getting started, with no one taking the lead so far. There are a total of 262 players aiming for the $96,600 prize pool.

This year’s WSOP has certainly met and exceeded my expectations with not only the enormous poker player turnout, but the way things are progressing. I have been able to see many great players, hands, and victories; enough to make me want to get a game of poker going right now!

Thinking about poker.

David Sklansky, one of the most interesting personalities in the world of poker, has always emphasized the priority of making good decisions. Just as in blackjack, you shouldn’t deviate from Basic Strategy (without added information that is, like if you’re keeping a running count of the high cards), because in the long run this will bring you back towards winning, over time.

The challenge with poker is that you don’t have a set chart for strategy. You’re playing against other players and their personal strategies, as well as the odds of your own hand. The other players’ actions mean everything. You have to play awhile against them, observing their play, to get a feel for their decision-making guidelines. And you need to try to see when their behavior changes or seems to change, and try to guess what cards they probably have as a consequence. It’s a little like astrophysics, when you see colors and positions and brightnesses, and have to try to conclude whether a star is moving towards you or away, or if it’s that color to start with or is it blue-shifted because it’s moving away, or red-shifted because it’s coming this way? It can drive you insane, thinking of the possibilities.

So in order to make good decisions, you need to be able to see the different scenarios clearly. But I always found that personal cues helped round out the picture of a player, when you’re trying to nail down exactly what kind of player he is.

No, you don’t need to be Tim Roth in Lie To Me and be able to read a liar from the way he breathes or licks his lip before answering a question. I think it’s more worthwhile to look at how they act with their money and their bets. What exactly is the person doing? Is he raising on everything? Would you call it reckless, or is he intent on getting those raises in during this hand in particular?

There is the tilting player, the loose player, the generous bettor, and the extremely strategic player. Every one of them might have placed the same bet/raise at the same point in the hand, but in relation to what he did just before this hand, you can get a better idea of which one of the above he is.