Poker News

One of the hottest topics of debate in the wonderful world of online gaming has been the reversal so the law that went through the back door during the Bush administration. It was passed via a security act in a very sneaky measure that was quickly picked up by the online gaming world.

As you may recall, this was the law that had the online gaming community running for cover and eventually some very popular rooms, such as Poker, banned US players and had online poker players in panic about their funds. The situation only got worse as eWallets like Neteller also pulled out. The next thing you know online poker site owners are getting yanked out of airports and charged with money laundering! People were literally worried about Big Brother knocking down their door and getting busted just as they clicked on the all in button.

While this bill was initially supposed to be introduced in March, it was pushed back until the Week of May 4. While it is unlikely that the actual version of the bill that Barney Frank (D-MA) is going to introduce will be passed, there is a ton of money being thrown around to ensure that it goes through in some form. This is nothing new as bills are often amended as the process gets completed.

The PPA is on record that they are going to do everything that they can to get his passed into law. Rumor had it that over $4 million was bookmarked for exactly this cause. The lobbyists will be busy next week and here is hoping that they are successful.

The boom in online poker is unbelievable and we can only imagine what it can do to our economy if the bill passes. You would have to think that amount of jobs and revenue that would be generated in US regulated sites would be an incredible boost to an economy that has yet to turn around.

The final table of the WPT Championship event has finally been decided after 6 days. They started the day with 10 players and about 5 hours later were down to the final 6. Talk about dragging out the day! Is it really necessary to stop play and continue for a 7th day? Tournament Poker has always been about longevity and the ability to keep your wits about you after 14 hours in a chair. Are these guys prima donnas or poker players?

The players hit the floor around noon on Friday and immediately got into action. Play was a little tight to start out and nobody seemed to want to be the first one to get bounced out on the next to last day. This however is the best time for aggressive players and big chip stacks to wreak havoc. As stacks were dwindled down over the next couple of hours, the players finally started to fall.

It took 3 hours, but Bruno Fitoussi finally was claimed as the first victim with the infamous KK hand. Timoshenko had pushed with AJ and of course, the A hit the flop. Reduced to a 2 outer, his hand never improved and out he went. With his exit, the action picked up and within the next 2 hours, 3 more players would fall to establish the final table.

All eyes have to be on one of the most successful players of our time in Scotty Nguyen. He is sitting 4th overall with a little over $3.25 million in chips, but he has been in this position before and it would be no surprise to see him make the $10 million deficit to the chip leader very early on the final day.

Day 2 (after Day 1a and Day 1b) started with a field of 469 players that were all looking for instant stardom in the poker world. By the end of the day, over 300 dreams would be shattered and 124 more people were that much closer to achieving their goal.

Dragon Galic continued to have his name atop the leader board and is benefiting from playing great poker and magical cards. He continued to use his monster chip stack to bully small stacks and force them into situations that they did not want to be. This was big stack poker at its finest and it seemed to pay off at every turn of the cards. There were more than a few hopes that were shattered as the day to a close and the money was finally in sight.

Day 3 brought more of the same. However, there was finally one weak link in the chain, or at least we thought, of Dragon Galic. For the first time in what seemed forever, he lost the lead in the tournament. That was rectified by the end of the day though as he once again claimed the top spot. While he continued to play solid, Constant Rijkenberg had more than a few eyebrows being raised.

He got out of the gates quicker than anyone else in Day 3 and was the player to take over the leader board for a brief moment. It seemed like it was going to be his day from the very beginning as he covered as all in with pocket deuces that held up. By the end of the day, there were only 32 people left standing and Galic was tops among them all.

Galic continues to look the ‘child of destiny’ as after his brief break from being the chip leader, he has refused to let anyone else get above him again. It is a rare occasion that you see a chip leader hold the title each and every day of the tournament, but that is what we are seeing here. His one brief stumble came in day 3, but at the end of the day, the leader board still had his name atop it.

With only 24 players standing in the way of the final table, everyone was out for blood. Galic continued to be merciless and had a few allies in his campaign. The day ended when Neuville got a little too greedy with a Kc10s preflop and ran into QQ. The board never improved him and he went out in 9th place and collected €78,800 for his time.

We now have our final table and Galic continues to lead the field. His lead is not as large as it once was, but you can only assume he is happy with the 400,000 chip lead he has on his closest competitor. It is going to be a long road for anyone other than the top three as they hold over 73% of the chips is play.

Okay, the concept may initially seem a little crazy, but playing online poker will allow you to continue to get your poker fix in and also fight back against the economy that we are currently facing. Be as skeptical as you want, but you are soon going to find out that the trip the casino can cost you close to if not more than $100 every time you go. Oh, now I have your attention, don’t I?

It all starts the moment you get into your car. For arguments sake, let’s assume that you live about 60 miles from the closest casino. Depending upon the type of car that you have, you are probably going to burn anywhere from 8-12 gallons of gasoline up and back. With a price of about $2/gallon, you just dropped about $20. Current Trip Cost or CTC as we like to call it (-$20).

That trip on the open road is not for free either. Depending where you live, you are going to be facing some tolls as well. You may even have to pay for parking. Give a generous estimate and figure that you cover both of those costs for about $12 total. CTC (-$32).

I can see you squirming in your chair right now as you are starting to see how your little daily jaunt to the local casino is starting to hit a little harder than you thought. But guess what, it’s not over! You know that cute little waitress that you look at and like to be a little extra generous to? Get her social security number because she is killing you! Figure you play a 10 hour session and order a drink about every 45 minutes from her. You probably throw her at least a buck every time she drops off a drink. If you are trying to get her number you throw her a bit more than that! For arguments sake, we will pretend you are a cheapskate and only count the low end of the scale. Regardless, you have just dropped another $15. She isn’t so cute anymore is she? CTC (-$47).

Now let’s take a look at the dealer that is dealing you bad beat after bad beat. Even though he is putting the screws to you, you still have to tip him out when he deals you a winning hand. It kills you to throw that dollar chip his way, but you don’t want the rest of the table looking at you either. On average, a live dealer will throw out about 30 hands an hour. You can reasonably figure on winning at least one hand per turn. That is a minimum of $3 per hour for 10 hours, another $30 down the drain. CTC (-$77).

We won’t count rake, because you would be paying that as well on the internet. However, if you are playing that long, you are going to have to get something to eat. Most poker rooms don’t exactly throw the comps around for poker players, so you are going to have to go to the cafeteria or restaurant. Prices aren’t exactly user friendly in these joints so figure at least $20 for a sandwich and soda. CTC (-$97).

That is almost $100 that you are down before you ever walk into the casino to play a hand. The average person would consider $100 win a great day. However, you get home and for some reason you have the same amount of money that you left with. Or worse, you lose $100 and have $200 less than you left the house with. Talk about taking a kick to the groin!

Now let’s take a quick look at the alternative. You stay home and play from the convenience of your own home on the net. If you don’t like your table, you get up and go to a new one. Keep switching tables in a live game and watch the floor managers reaction. You have no dealer to tip and you are also getting more hands in! Let’s not forget that you can multi-table and offset the natural variance. Everything that you need to eat and drink is already in your fridge and figured into your monthly family budget. That makes it FREE!

Are you ready for the other shoe to drop? One simple word, rakeback. This is the percentage of the money that you contribute to the rake that is returned to you at the end of the month. Now if you break even at the tables with 8 trips to the casino, you are down $800. If you break even at the tables in online poker, you may be getting back $800 in rakeback at the end of the month!

How much more proof do you need that online poker is the answer to your poker recession blues? When your wife tells you that you can’t afford to play, show her this and tell you can’t afford not to play! When everyone asks you your political views on the current economy, you finally have the answer, ONLINE POKER.

Paddy Power Poker dial-a-Bet today announces details of the Paddy Power Charity Poker Open, Scotland’s largest ever Online Poker tournament, which will raise money on behalf of Erskine Hospital. The tournament will be made up for four heats of up to 500 players and one grand final of 40 players, to be held on Saturday 30th May.

The Erskine hospital has provided nursing and medical care for more than 70,000 patients since 1916 and it is hoped that the Paddy Power Charity Poker Open will raise thousands of pounds to help re-build shattered lives.

The prizes on offer include an all expenses paid trip to Dublin for the paddypowerpoker.com Irish Poker Open in 2010, with tournament entry included. Other prizes include a trip for 2 to Las Vegas, VIP packages to the Paddy Power Gold Cup in 2009 at Cheltenham, and VIP packages to the Ayr Gold Cup in September 2009.

Players can book their spot at any one of the four heats by paying for their seat online at: www.paddypowercharityopen.com. Live registration for the heats takes place between 10:00am and 11:30am on the day of the events, with play starting at 12 noon. Entry costs just £12 per person.

Tournament: Paddy Power Charity Poker Open

Where: The Normandy Hotel, Renfrew, Scotland

When: Heat 1 – Saturday, 16th May

Heat 2 – Sunday, 17th May

Heat 3 – Saturday, 23rd May

Heat 4 – Sunday, 24th May

Grand Final – Saturday, 30th May

Paddy Power said “We are delighted to sponsor this tournament and look forward to not only hosting Scotland’s biggest ever poker event but also to raising much needed funds for this incredibly worthwhile organization.”