Archive for December, 2008
wsop - how many chips do you start with in the smaller events?
Monday, December 15th, 2008how can i get updates for wsop circuit event #3?
Sunday, December 14th, 2008
teekay asked:
my friend is playin the wsop circuit even #3 in harrah’s atlantic city…
the tourny started today… and its televised. where can i go online and check the status, how many players left, and payouts and stuff…?
Doris
my friend is playin the wsop circuit even #3 in harrah’s atlantic city…
the tourny started today… and its televised. where can i go online and check the status, how many players left, and payouts and stuff…?
Doris
Poker: World Series of Poker - How World Series of Poker Begun
Saturday, December 6th, 2008
Nicholas Tan asked:
In the summer of 1949, as the story goes, inveterate gambler Nicholas “Nick the Greek” Dandolos approached Benny Binion with an unusual request - to challenge the best in a high-stakes poker marathon. Binion agreed to set up a match between Dandolos and the legendary Johnny Moss, with the stipulation that the game would be played in public view.
During the course of the marathon, which lasted five months with breaks only for sleep, the two men played every form of poker imaginable. Moss ultimately won “the biggest game in town” and an estimated $2 million. When the Greek lost his last pot, he arose from his chair, bowed slightly, and uttered the now-famous words, ” Mr. Moss, I have to let you go.” Dandolos then went upstairs to bed.
Though significant in its own way as a chapter in poker history, the five-month marathon took on added importance to Benny Binion. It wasn’t until 1970 that Binion decided to re-create the excitement and stage a battle of poker giants - dubbed the “World Series Of Poker” - to determine who would be worthy of the title “World Champion.” Johnny Moss came out on top. The decision was democratic in that the champion of the World Series of Poker was decided by popular vote.
The following year, Moss again was declared the World Series of Poker Champion. In 1972, when Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston won the title and went on the talk-show circuit, the World Series of Poker began to gain a wider following.
It was only a year later that Binion participated in the Oral History Project at the University of Nevada-Reno and discussed the World Series of Poker with interviewer Mary Ellen Glass. “This poker game here gets us a lot of attention,” he told Glass. “We had seven players last year, and this year we had 13. I look to have better than 20 next year. It’s even liable to get up to be 50, might get up to be more than that.” Binion then paused, and as if gazing into the future, prophesied, “It will eventually.”
In the early 1980s, Binion’s prophesy came to fruition and the popularity of theWorld Series of Poker soared.
Today, the legacy Benny Binion left the poker community ranks as the oldest, most prestigious, and most media-hyped gaming in the world. The World Series of Poker has touched thousands of lives over the years.
Five world series of poker rules
1. Hold ‘em
-Each player is first dealt two cards down.
-A round of betting occurs as players decide for the first time if they are in or they’re out.
-Then five community cards follow with betting after the flop, the turn, and the river.
-In the end, the best five card combination wins the hand and takes the pot.
2. Omaha
-Instead of being dealt two cards, each player recives four down cards.
-A round of betting occurs as players decide for the first time if they are in or they’re out.
-Then five community cards follow with betting after the flop, the turn, and the river.
-Those still in reveal their cards. But here’s the catch… A player must use two and only two of their down cards along with three of the community cards. And as
always, the best five card hand wins the pot.
3. Seven card stud
-Each player is dealt three cards. The first two are down and the third is up for everyone to see.
-Players must then decide for the first time whether they’re in, or out.
-The next three cards are all dealt face up, with more rounds of betting after each card.
-The seventh and final card is dealt face down.
-After one last round of betting, players still in will reveal what they have. As always, the best five card hand wins the hand and takes the pot.
4. Razz
-This game is a lot like seven card stud except of course the low hand wins.
-To begin, three cards are dealt to each player.
-The first two are down cards the third is up for everyone to see.
-A round of betting follows, as it does after each of the next three up cards are dealt.
-The seventh and last card is dealt face down.
-One more round of betting before players still in will reveal what they have.
-Now remember the low hand is the winner and flushes and straights don’t count as high hands so ace to five is a good as it gets.
5. Lowball
-Basically, it’s five card draw and the low hand wins
-The point of the game is to have the lowest hand possible.
-But unlike razz, straights and flushes count as high hands.
-So the best possible hand a player could have is 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7.
-Each player receives five cards face down.
-After a round of betting a player is allowed to draw up to five new cards.
-Once a player receives their new cards, a final round of betting follows.
-Players then reveal their cards and since the lowest hand is the best-2,3,4,5 and 7 off suit is as good as it gets.
Michael
In the summer of 1949, as the story goes, inveterate gambler Nicholas “Nick the Greek” Dandolos approached Benny Binion with an unusual request - to challenge the best in a high-stakes poker marathon. Binion agreed to set up a match between Dandolos and the legendary Johnny Moss, with the stipulation that the game would be played in public view.
During the course of the marathon, which lasted five months with breaks only for sleep, the two men played every form of poker imaginable. Moss ultimately won “the biggest game in town” and an estimated $2 million. When the Greek lost his last pot, he arose from his chair, bowed slightly, and uttered the now-famous words, ” Mr. Moss, I have to let you go.” Dandolos then went upstairs to bed.
Though significant in its own way as a chapter in poker history, the five-month marathon took on added importance to Benny Binion. It wasn’t until 1970 that Binion decided to re-create the excitement and stage a battle of poker giants - dubbed the “World Series Of Poker” - to determine who would be worthy of the title “World Champion.” Johnny Moss came out on top. The decision was democratic in that the champion of the World Series of Poker was decided by popular vote.
The following year, Moss again was declared the World Series of Poker Champion. In 1972, when Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston won the title and went on the talk-show circuit, the World Series of Poker began to gain a wider following.
It was only a year later that Binion participated in the Oral History Project at the University of Nevada-Reno and discussed the World Series of Poker with interviewer Mary Ellen Glass. “This poker game here gets us a lot of attention,” he told Glass. “We had seven players last year, and this year we had 13. I look to have better than 20 next year. It’s even liable to get up to be 50, might get up to be more than that.” Binion then paused, and as if gazing into the future, prophesied, “It will eventually.”
In the early 1980s, Binion’s prophesy came to fruition and the popularity of theWorld Series of Poker soared.
Today, the legacy Benny Binion left the poker community ranks as the oldest, most prestigious, and most media-hyped gaming in the world. The World Series of Poker has touched thousands of lives over the years.
Five world series of poker rules
1. Hold ‘em
-Each player is first dealt two cards down.
-A round of betting occurs as players decide for the first time if they are in or they’re out.
-Then five community cards follow with betting after the flop, the turn, and the river.
-In the end, the best five card combination wins the hand and takes the pot.
2. Omaha
-Instead of being dealt two cards, each player recives four down cards.
-A round of betting occurs as players decide for the first time if they are in or they’re out.
-Then five community cards follow with betting after the flop, the turn, and the river.
-Those still in reveal their cards. But here’s the catch… A player must use two and only two of their down cards along with three of the community cards. And as
always, the best five card hand wins the pot.
3. Seven card stud
-Each player is dealt three cards. The first two are down and the third is up for everyone to see.
-Players must then decide for the first time whether they’re in, or out.
-The next three cards are all dealt face up, with more rounds of betting after each card.
-The seventh and final card is dealt face down.
-After one last round of betting, players still in will reveal what they have. As always, the best five card hand wins the hand and takes the pot.
4. Razz
-This game is a lot like seven card stud except of course the low hand wins.
-To begin, three cards are dealt to each player.
-The first two are down cards the third is up for everyone to see.
-A round of betting follows, as it does after each of the next three up cards are dealt.
-The seventh and last card is dealt face down.
-One more round of betting before players still in will reveal what they have.
-Now remember the low hand is the winner and flushes and straights don’t count as high hands so ace to five is a good as it gets.
5. Lowball
-Basically, it’s five card draw and the low hand wins
-The point of the game is to have the lowest hand possible.
-But unlike razz, straights and flushes count as high hands.
-So the best possible hand a player could have is 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7.
-Each player receives five cards face down.
-After a round of betting a player is allowed to draw up to five new cards.
-Once a player receives their new cards, a final round of betting follows.
-Players then reveal their cards and since the lowest hand is the best-2,3,4,5 and 7 off suit is as good as it gets.
Michael
Player Profile: Erik Seidel
Friday, December 5th, 2008
Kenneth Bateman asked:
Modest and unassuming, Erik Seidel is a professional poker player, one of the world’s best. In fact, he is one of a very select few players who have won multiple World Series of Poker Bracelets, (he has won seven WSOP Bracelets as of this writing). Erik is the only WSOP tournament player in the past twenty-five years to win three consecutive years running:
• 1992 – $2500 Limit Hold ‘em – $168,000
• 1993 – $2500 - Omaha 8 or Better – $94,000
• 1994 – $5000 - No-Limit Hold ‘em – $210,000
Seidel is additionally ranked among the top ten money makers in World Series of Poker Tournament play, his standing kept intact by his $611,795 victory in the 2005 WSOP Tounament, in which he outlasted and overcame 1,402 competitors.
Although Erik is held in high regard in the world of professional tournament poker, poker, his first love now, was not his first love thirty-five years ago, when in 1970 he left college to pursue a career as a professional backgammon player.
Playing backgammon at New York’s legendary Mayfair Club, Erik entered a backgammon tournament in Las Vegas, where playing a few games of low-limit poker peaked a new interest in the game. Back at the Mayfair, Erik and a number of fellow backgammon players, Paul Magriel, Jason Lester, Steve Zotolow and Howard Lederer among them, began a regular series of poker games, eventually leading the boy’s into professional poker tournament competition.
During this time Erik worked as a trader on Wall Street to supplement an erratic income from Backgammon. Eventually, backed by friends, Erik felt confident enough to enter a World Series of Poker Tournament in Las Vegas.
Erik’s initial foray into the WSOP was discouraging, to say the least. Entering one-table satellite play for the Main Event, Erik lost every one, nine in all. Not deterred by his losses, Erik bought into the Main Event, and his skillful play enabled him to finish second only to the winner, the famed Johnny Chan.
As it so happened, a movie about poker was being filmed at the time of the tournament called ” Rounders.” The film starred Matt Damon, and it was about a reformed gambler who returned to playing big stakes poker to help a friend pay off threatening loan sharks. The movie’s director, John Dahl thought it would be interesting film the playoff between Chan and Seidel. The final hand brought a measure of movie fame to Erik and Johnny Chan as it was included in the film - much to Seidel’s embarrassment, he lost, (pair of queens to a straight).
• Only four players in all of WSOP Tournament competition have won more bracelets than Erik Seidel.
• 2005 WSOP Event #9 - No-Limit Hold ‘em - 1st place – $611,795
• 1999 WSOP Main Event - 4th place – $279,500
• 1998 WSOP Main Event - 2nd place – $280,000
• World Poker Tour - Season #3 - Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship - 4th place – $165,000
Erik currently lives in Henderson, Nevada, (just outside of Las Vegas proper), with his wife and daughter. His favorite ways to relax are listening to music and playing tennis.
Sherry
Modest and unassuming, Erik Seidel is a professional poker player, one of the world’s best. In fact, he is one of a very select few players who have won multiple World Series of Poker Bracelets, (he has won seven WSOP Bracelets as of this writing). Erik is the only WSOP tournament player in the past twenty-five years to win three consecutive years running:
• 1992 – $2500 Limit Hold ‘em – $168,000
• 1993 – $2500 - Omaha 8 or Better – $94,000
• 1994 – $5000 - No-Limit Hold ‘em – $210,000
Seidel is additionally ranked among the top ten money makers in World Series of Poker Tournament play, his standing kept intact by his $611,795 victory in the 2005 WSOP Tounament, in which he outlasted and overcame 1,402 competitors.
Although Erik is held in high regard in the world of professional tournament poker, poker, his first love now, was not his first love thirty-five years ago, when in 1970 he left college to pursue a career as a professional backgammon player.
Playing backgammon at New York’s legendary Mayfair Club, Erik entered a backgammon tournament in Las Vegas, where playing a few games of low-limit poker peaked a new interest in the game. Back at the Mayfair, Erik and a number of fellow backgammon players, Paul Magriel, Jason Lester, Steve Zotolow and Howard Lederer among them, began a regular series of poker games, eventually leading the boy’s into professional poker tournament competition.
During this time Erik worked as a trader on Wall Street to supplement an erratic income from Backgammon. Eventually, backed by friends, Erik felt confident enough to enter a World Series of Poker Tournament in Las Vegas.
Erik’s initial foray into the WSOP was discouraging, to say the least. Entering one-table satellite play for the Main Event, Erik lost every one, nine in all. Not deterred by his losses, Erik bought into the Main Event, and his skillful play enabled him to finish second only to the winner, the famed Johnny Chan.
As it so happened, a movie about poker was being filmed at the time of the tournament called ” Rounders.” The film starred Matt Damon, and it was about a reformed gambler who returned to playing big stakes poker to help a friend pay off threatening loan sharks. The movie’s director, John Dahl thought it would be interesting film the playoff between Chan and Seidel. The final hand brought a measure of movie fame to Erik and Johnny Chan as it was included in the film - much to Seidel’s embarrassment, he lost, (pair of queens to a straight).
• Only four players in all of WSOP Tournament competition have won more bracelets than Erik Seidel.
• 2005 WSOP Event #9 - No-Limit Hold ‘em - 1st place – $611,795
• 1999 WSOP Main Event - 4th place – $279,500
• 1998 WSOP Main Event - 2nd place – $280,000
• World Poker Tour - Season #3 - Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship - 4th place – $165,000
Erik currently lives in Henderson, Nevada, (just outside of Las Vegas proper), with his wife and daughter. His favorite ways to relax are listening to music and playing tennis.
Sherry
Women and Poker II
Thursday, December 4th, 2008
Daphne Greene asked:
Part II: Poker’s Modern Day Female Warriors
Poker has certainly come a long way since the days of illegal back alley tournaments and Mafia run card houses during the Prohibition. Although poker in America received a setback that sent everyone back to the 1960’s due to Congress banning all forms of online gambling save dog and horse racing (go figure how those remained legal). For years women poker players were the exception as opposed to a regular fixture at the felt tables, but nowadays the majority of poker players are still men but women are rapidly catching on and are slowly making their mark in poker tournaments all over the country.
Unfortunately it will likely be many years before women reach an equal representation at poker tables, but there are increasingly many outstanding women who have begun to dominate the tables they show up at. Below, in no particular order, is a list of the best of the best – the women who are making men respect the fair *** all over the world:
Jennifer Harman
It’s difficult to discuss poker’s best female players without mentioning Jennifer Harman. To date, she has two WSOP bracelets around her wrist that she earned at the time she became a professional card player at the age of 21. Nowadays she can be found playing at some of the most impressive high roller tables in the world including the Big Game at the Bellagio. She was also part of the group of poker players who went up against multi-millionaire Andy Beal, and during this match she raked the largest known pot in a cash game in history, a sum reaching over $1.7 million dollars. She is a regular at the $3000 / $6000 limit Hold’em tables, and her total career tournament winnings sit just shy of $2 million nowadays. Arguably, Harman’s biggest accomplishment came in 2000 when she won the WSOP 2-7 Triple Draw tournament: amazingly, she had never even played the game before the tournament!
Annie Duke
Another mainstay on the poker scene, Annie Duke holds the honor of being the most successful female poker player in the history of the World Series of Poker. To date, she has made it to 11 final tables and has accumulated more than $500,000 in winnings. The sister of accomplished poker star Howard ‘The Professor’ Lederer, Annie Duke has had no problem emerging from the shadow of her brother. During her first WSOP event in 2004 she actually knocked him out early on in the Main Event and went on to win the Tournament of Champions along with a $2 million prize. Her total career winnings have now surpassed $3,476,942. Most importantly, Duke has been an outspoken critic of the US government for banning online gambling and has been consistently working towards its re-legalization.
Barbara Enright
Barbara Enright began playing poker at home while she was only four years old. A passionate player, she began playing in card rooms in 1976. Since then she has become one of the most recognized professional female poker players in the world. Over the years Barbara has accumulated an impressive stack of titles and records. More importantly, she has been one of the founding spokesman for women in the game as an author and magazine editor. She is also a WSOP bracelet winner. Her career winnings have easily exceeded $1 million at this point. For years she was the only person to reach the final table at the WSOP Main Event but now other women share this accomplishment.
Kathy Liebert
Kathy Liebert, who made the number one spot of the highest earning woman poker player of all time on pokernews.com, is easily one of the best women poker players that have ever lived. Liebert recently passed the $4 million mark which is more than any other woman has one in tournament play by far. She has been playing poker for over 15 years and has an impressive record to show for it: she has garnered multiple first-place finishes as well as earning a WSOP bracelet, and she has made it to more final tables than any other woman so far, including 23 cashes at the WSOP and 13 cases at the WPT (five of which were earned at the final table.) Besides playing poker, Liebert is also active in the stock market and also holds a blue belt in Karate.
Cyndy Violette
Poker’s spiritual and health guru, Cyndy Violette is one of the most recognizable faces in poker today. Although she is small in stare, this fearsome poker player demands respect. Raised in Atlantic City, Violette has now been playing poker professionally for over 23 years, and she has accumulated an impressing $1.3 million throughout various tournaments. During the 2006 WSOP Cyndy Violette went on a rampage cashing in an impressive seven events - it felt as if one could not watch a final table during the 2006 WSOP without seeing the familiar bubbly blonde all over the television screens. Unfortunately she was not able to claim a bracelet that year, but she did manage to wrap one of the coveted bracelets over her wrist after winning the 2004 WSOP $2,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split.
Annette Obrestad
Last but not least on our list is the young Norwegian poker phenomenon Annette Obrestad. Obrestad began playing poker online at the age of 15 and quickly caught on to the finer points of the game. To date, she is the youngest person ever to win a WSOP bracelet and is also considered to be one of the best online multi-table tournament players in the world. She has earned the bulk of her money on Pokerstars as well as UltimateBet and her nickname “Annette15” is one of the most feared on these sites. On September 17th 2007 Obrestad made poker history when she won the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe Main Event the day before she turned 19. Her winnings totaled one million-pound sterling or US $2.1 million. In the short years since this incredible young woman began playing poker she has accumulated a more than impressive $2,481,868. One day soon Annette Obrestad may very well go down as the greatest professional female poker player of all time.
Although these women have showed the world that women can play cards just as well as any man, there is still a long way before women reach an equal status with their male peers. Despite the fact that the growth of women in the game is now higher than men, the image of women in the poker world is unacceptable. The sexualization of the female body is a travesty in the poker world. Part III of Women and Poker will examine the way in which the female form is constantly exploited for its sexual appeal in the poker world.
Jack
Part II: Poker’s Modern Day Female Warriors
Poker has certainly come a long way since the days of illegal back alley tournaments and Mafia run card houses during the Prohibition. Although poker in America received a setback that sent everyone back to the 1960’s due to Congress banning all forms of online gambling save dog and horse racing (go figure how those remained legal). For years women poker players were the exception as opposed to a regular fixture at the felt tables, but nowadays the majority of poker players are still men but women are rapidly catching on and are slowly making their mark in poker tournaments all over the country.
Unfortunately it will likely be many years before women reach an equal representation at poker tables, but there are increasingly many outstanding women who have begun to dominate the tables they show up at. Below, in no particular order, is a list of the best of the best – the women who are making men respect the fair *** all over the world:
Jennifer Harman
It’s difficult to discuss poker’s best female players without mentioning Jennifer Harman. To date, she has two WSOP bracelets around her wrist that she earned at the time she became a professional card player at the age of 21. Nowadays she can be found playing at some of the most impressive high roller tables in the world including the Big Game at the Bellagio. She was also part of the group of poker players who went up against multi-millionaire Andy Beal, and during this match she raked the largest known pot in a cash game in history, a sum reaching over $1.7 million dollars. She is a regular at the $3000 / $6000 limit Hold’em tables, and her total career tournament winnings sit just shy of $2 million nowadays. Arguably, Harman’s biggest accomplishment came in 2000 when she won the WSOP 2-7 Triple Draw tournament: amazingly, she had never even played the game before the tournament!
Annie Duke
Another mainstay on the poker scene, Annie Duke holds the honor of being the most successful female poker player in the history of the World Series of Poker. To date, she has made it to 11 final tables and has accumulated more than $500,000 in winnings. The sister of accomplished poker star Howard ‘The Professor’ Lederer, Annie Duke has had no problem emerging from the shadow of her brother. During her first WSOP event in 2004 she actually knocked him out early on in the Main Event and went on to win the Tournament of Champions along with a $2 million prize. Her total career winnings have now surpassed $3,476,942. Most importantly, Duke has been an outspoken critic of the US government for banning online gambling and has been consistently working towards its re-legalization.
Barbara Enright
Barbara Enright began playing poker at home while she was only four years old. A passionate player, she began playing in card rooms in 1976. Since then she has become one of the most recognized professional female poker players in the world. Over the years Barbara has accumulated an impressive stack of titles and records. More importantly, she has been one of the founding spokesman for women in the game as an author and magazine editor. She is also a WSOP bracelet winner. Her career winnings have easily exceeded $1 million at this point. For years she was the only person to reach the final table at the WSOP Main Event but now other women share this accomplishment.
Kathy Liebert
Kathy Liebert, who made the number one spot of the highest earning woman poker player of all time on pokernews.com, is easily one of the best women poker players that have ever lived. Liebert recently passed the $4 million mark which is more than any other woman has one in tournament play by far. She has been playing poker for over 15 years and has an impressive record to show for it: she has garnered multiple first-place finishes as well as earning a WSOP bracelet, and she has made it to more final tables than any other woman so far, including 23 cashes at the WSOP and 13 cases at the WPT (five of which were earned at the final table.) Besides playing poker, Liebert is also active in the stock market and also holds a blue belt in Karate.
Cyndy Violette
Poker’s spiritual and health guru, Cyndy Violette is one of the most recognizable faces in poker today. Although she is small in stare, this fearsome poker player demands respect. Raised in Atlantic City, Violette has now been playing poker professionally for over 23 years, and she has accumulated an impressing $1.3 million throughout various tournaments. During the 2006 WSOP Cyndy Violette went on a rampage cashing in an impressive seven events - it felt as if one could not watch a final table during the 2006 WSOP without seeing the familiar bubbly blonde all over the television screens. Unfortunately she was not able to claim a bracelet that year, but she did manage to wrap one of the coveted bracelets over her wrist after winning the 2004 WSOP $2,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split.
Annette Obrestad
Last but not least on our list is the young Norwegian poker phenomenon Annette Obrestad. Obrestad began playing poker online at the age of 15 and quickly caught on to the finer points of the game. To date, she is the youngest person ever to win a WSOP bracelet and is also considered to be one of the best online multi-table tournament players in the world. She has earned the bulk of her money on Pokerstars as well as UltimateBet and her nickname “Annette15” is one of the most feared on these sites. On September 17th 2007 Obrestad made poker history when she won the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe Main Event the day before she turned 19. Her winnings totaled one million-pound sterling or US $2.1 million. In the short years since this incredible young woman began playing poker she has accumulated a more than impressive $2,481,868. One day soon Annette Obrestad may very well go down as the greatest professional female poker player of all time.
Although these women have showed the world that women can play cards just as well as any man, there is still a long way before women reach an equal status with their male peers. Despite the fact that the growth of women in the game is now higher than men, the image of women in the poker world is unacceptable. The sexualization of the female body is a travesty in the poker world. Part III of Women and Poker will examine the way in which the female form is constantly exploited for its sexual appeal in the poker world.
Jack
Where could I get a World Series of Poker replica championship bracelet? ?
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
