http://www.pokerlistings.com Our poker blogs give you a behind-the-scenes look at poker culture and lifestyle from the people who live it. Check out pro blogs from Liz Lieu, Matt Stout and Jason Mercier plus the latest poker gossip, gadgets, news, poker strategy, humor, trip reports, en-us <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 22 May 2013 04:53:11 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/tiger-woods-charity-poker-tournament http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/tiger-woods-charity-poker-tournament http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/tiger-woods-charity-poker-tournament#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>The thing I noticed immediately after a few orbits was that the tournament had sped up significantly for short and middling stacks. The biggest reason for this was the gigantic antes; the first level of the day was 600/1200 with a 200 ante! Being unable to win pots during this level meant bad things for your stack.</p> <p>Unfortunately I was among those having trouble winning pots. It was really easy to lose a quick 20 to 30bb just from raising preflop and failing to win post flop, and I only had 60bb to start the day in the first place.</p> <p>After losing a portion of my stack, I managed to get up to around 75bb after a 3-bet pot where I was fortunate enough to flop a set with 77. It was a heads-up pot and on the flop I check/called when it came AT7.</p> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Courtney-Gee-3.jpg"><img class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-Courtney-Gee-3.jpg" alt="Courtney Gee 3" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Courtney at WPT Montreal.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>When my opponent <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/essential-texas-hold-em-moves-the-triple-barrel-bluff">double-barreled</a> 15k into a 30k pot with just 25k behind, I was pretty sure he had top pair, so I jammed. He thought for a very long time and then folded.</p> <p>Thinking back to the hand, I probably shouldn’t have jammed on the turn. It was a small jam in relation to the pot, but people value their tournament lives a lot, especially live.</p> <p>After the first break, I was up to almost 100k. The blinds, however, were at 1k/2k, so I had just 50bb.</p> <h3>From Medium to Short Stack</h3> <p>I quickly lost a lot of chips at this point. First I doubled up a short stack with KQ versus his AJ, and then I whiffed a flop against the chip leader with AQ and couldn’t take down the pot after raising his continuation bet. I was down to 28bb, which was the lowest I’d been all tournament.</p> <p>The next big hand I played involved me raising QJ in early position and getting three calls at 1k/2k. The flop came Q9x with a flush draw, and the small blind donk-bet 6k into the 22k pot. He only had 17k behind, I had 50k, and both stacks behind had me covered.</p> <p>To ensure that the short stack couldn’t prevent me from going all-in versus the larger stacks, I elected to raise to 23k. The stack directly to my left flatted, and the table chip-leader folded. When the action got back to the donk-bettor, he literally shrugged and tossed the rest of his chips in.</p> <p>The turn came an off-suit A, and I went all-in, jamming 30k into almost 90k. This caused my opponent to go deep into the tank, which usually would mean that I wanted a call.</p> <p>In this case, however, I was sure I didn’t because he started saying stuff like, “I am giving you SO much credit if I fold… If I fold and I’m wrong, I’m going to be so mad…” So I sat there and waited and waited, knowing that I was dead if he called.</p> <p>After what felt like forever, he finally folded. The donk bettor flipped over Q3 and I faded the three-outer on the river, so I won the pot.</p> <p>The player to my left said that he folded KQ and told me that my jam was good because he otherwise was never folding. I call that hand the “near-death experience” of my poker tournament :P</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/27980095031174569121000044460744517295827o.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-27980095031174569121000044460744517295827o.jpg" alt="Courtney Gee" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Courtney has played on television but her live experience is still limited.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Sadly, that was the last interesting hand I played for the rest of the event. I just couldn’t get anything going moving forward, mostly because I couldn’t hit pairs and my opponents weren’t folding to post flop bets.</p> <p>I also lost 30 per cent of my stack in one hand where I three-bet bluffed preflop and continuation bet a flop that I whiffed. My opponent flopped 2nd pair and won the pot after I gave up on the turn.</p> <p>I had a push/fold stack when we came back for level 5 after the second break. I got a few jams through but ultimately busted after 3-bet jamming pocket deuces over the table chip leader’s CO raise with 13bb and losing a flip to KQ.</p> <h3>Post-Tournament Analysis</h3> <p>Overall I’m mostly happy with how I played both days of the tournament. I didn’t have a lot to work with and lost a few flips, so I don’t think there was much else I could do. I won a lot of my chips without showdown, which I’m pretty pleased with.</p> <p>I definitely made a lot of mistakes, though. Most of my mistakes had to do with my inexperience as a live player, but my lack of stamina in multi-table tournaments also caused me problems.</p> <p>I haven’t played full-time MTTs for a couple years now, so I’m no longer used to the long days. I can play nine hours of online poker at home on a given day, but usually it’s with a two hour break in between sessions. I had to work extremely hard to stay alert during the last four hours of Day 1.</p> <p>Before I wrap up the trip report, I quickly want to say that Playground Poker was absolutely awesome.</p> <p>The tournament was very well run, the dealers were overall excellent, and the staff was extremely helpful. It makes me wish we had a dedicated venue for poker here in Vancouver. I’m pretty sure I’d play live more often if that were the case!</p> <p>Now that I’m home, it’s time for me to get back on the online grind. I’ll be back soon to update my progress when it comes to HU SnGs, but feel free to <a target="_blank" href="http://donkeybrainspoker.com">follow my other blog</a> if you want daily post-session reports. Good luck at the tables!</p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 21 May 2013 11:21:31 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/trip-report-analyzing-my-play-at-wpt-montreal-part-2 http://www.pokerlistings.com/trip-report-analyzing-my-play-at-wpt-montreal-part-2 http://www.pokerlistings.com/trip-report-analyzing-my-play-at-wpt-montreal-part-2#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 17 May 2013 05:08:52 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/italy-online-poker-decline http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/italy-online-poker-decline http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/italy-online-poker-decline#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 16 May 2013 02:17:22 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/will-phil-ivey-win-his-lawsuit http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/will-phil-ivey-win-his-lawsuit http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/will-phil-ivey-win-his-lawsuit#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>I got to Montreal on May 2nd, but I opted to play on Day 1c because I figured it might be the softest day. By the time it was my turn to play on May 5th, I had hung out downtown for a few days and was adjusted to the time zone (3 hours earlier than what I’m used to).</p> <p>I didn’t recognize anyone at my table, nor did I expect to since most of the big name pros were overseas to play the EPT Grand Final.</p> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Courtney-Gee-2.jpg"><img class="image-position-alt image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-Courtney-Gee-2.jpg" alt="Courtney Gee 2" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Photo credit: CanadaPoker.com.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>I thought one of the players at my table might be a known pro since I saw people come by to snap photos of him, but he played pretty poorly so maybe I was wrong.</p> <h3>Adjusting for the Maniac at the Table</h3> <p>My table was quite soft and I got off to a pretty quick start, adding over 50% to my stack by the first break. I had a very aggro player three to my left, though, and he started playing back at me a lot once he got some chips. He was 3-betting me quite often, and he once showed a bluff after re-raising my 4-bet with 63s.</p> <p>Since he showed the willingness to 4-bet with air, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/strategy/adjusting-to-each-game-part-1-the-tight-game">I had to adjust how I played a bit</a>. The good thing was that he tended to bet too small, so it was fairly easy to adjust to. I had to tighten my opening range, but then I was able to just raise/call a lot and see flops for cheap.</p> <p>I doubled my 30k starting stack by second break, which meant 200 big blinds and lots to work with. I was involved in far fewer pots at this point, however, for a variety of reasons.</p> <p>One was that another aggro player got moved to my left, and he actually sized 3-bets properly. This meant I had to tighten my opening range even more (since I couldn’t raise/call as liberally anymore).</p> <p>Secondly, I lacked the credibility I had at the start of the day, which meant that when I wasn’t getting 3-bet, I was getting flatted a lot.</p> <h3>“FIRST bluff?! She hasn’t had anything the entire tournament!”</h3> <p>The one hand that made me especially realize that I should immediately tighten up was when I bet turn and jammed river in a 3-bet pot versus a player that didn’t continuation bet. He called the turn but then agonized over the river for several minutes.</p> <p>When he finally made the fold, a player at the table said, “Courtney just made her first bluff of the tournament.” The aggro player that had 5-bet with 63s versus me said, “FIRST bluff?! She hasn’t had anything the entire tournament!”</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Playground-Poker-Montreal.jpg"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-Playground-Poker-Montreal.jpg" alt="Playground Poker Montreal" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Playground Poker Club in Montreal.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t take advantage of the image I created because I couldn’t make any hands the second half of the day.</p> <p>There was actually one hand where I misread my hole cards and thought I had a flush on a 4-flush river. I bet in position after the two aggro players to my left checked with what I thought was a ten-high flush.</p> <p>They both called with weak flushes because they didn’t believe me. When I saw my hole cards and realized I had nothing, I mucked and one of them cried triumphantly, “I knew she had nothing!” Sick brag that I got value from such weak hands; when I learn to read hole cards, I’m gonna get rich ;)</p> <p>I spent the latter levels of the tournament mostly staying afloat by winning small pots. The original aggro player to my left 1-outed someone for a massive tournament chip lead, so I wasn’t really able to take advantage of increasing blinds and antes.</p> <p>I was basically stuck between 60k and 80k from level 4 of the tournament all the way until the end of the day, which finished at level 10 (500/1k 100 ante).</p> <p>At the end of the day I had 76k chips, around an average stack. In part two of my WPT trip report, I’ll write about the successes and failures of my Day 2 in WPT Montreal. Stay tuned!</p> <p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/trip-report-analyzing-my-play-at-wpt-montreal-part-2">Keep reading with Part 2 here.</a></p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 15 May 2013 14:28:59 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/trip-report-vacation-and-poker-at-wpt-montreal-part-1 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/trip-report-vacation-and-poker-at-wpt-montreal-part-1 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/trip-report-vacation-and-poker-at-wpt-montreal-part-1#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Screen-shot-2013-05-10-at-10.46.45-AM.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-Screen-shot-2013-05-10-at-10.46.45-AM.jpg" alt="Poker Gym" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">A typical Poker Gym practice session.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Each practice session is randomly generated so it’s a different set of questions each time, which keeps things fresh.</p> <p>It’s the interactive nature of Poker Gym that separates it from competing training products.</p> <p>Poker Gym is one of the best new poker training tools we’ve used lately and only costs $10 for every component.</p> <p>If you are a newish poker player or just want to brush up on your fundamentals this is a great product and considerably cheaper than subscriptions to the big training sites.</p> <p>To learn more just head over to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pokergym.com">www.pokergym.com</a> and complete the first two training modules for free.</p> <h3>Hits</h3> Cheap but effective. Reinforces simple but useful formulas for counting odds and estimating equity. The interactive nature of Poker Gym makes it more compelling than some training tools. There are some rather obvious percentages that a lot of people (including ourselves) calculate wrong. Poker Gym helps with that. The major formulas in Poker Gym are surprisingly simple and relatively easy to grasp. <h3>Misses</h3> A timer would add a degree of difficulty and also foster competition between friends.  Would be great if Poker Gym had a way of explaining what you are doing wrong when you answer a question incorrectly. Poker Gym will be overly simple for some players. <p></p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 10 May 2013 09:51:04 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-gym-offers-interactive-poker-training-for-cheap http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-gym-offers-interactive-poker-training-for-cheap http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-gym-offers-interactive-poker-training-for-cheap#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 10 May 2013 05:51:02 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/new-poker-romance-site http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/new-poker-romance-site http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/new-poker-romance-site#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>Keep in mind these results are just based on their big sessions against other, so they won’t be 100% accurate. If you want a more detailed look at the Isildur1/Bttech86 you should check out <a href="http://www.highstakesdb.com">www.highstakesdb.com</a>. They do an excellent job covering the high-stakes scene.</p> <p>Regardless, it appears to be a pretty depressing picture for Tollerene, although he’s been killing the other games this year. This graph only includes the big heads-up sessions between Isildur1 and Bttech86.</p> <p>Hover over each data point to learn more about their on-going battle:</p> <p><img class="alwaysThinglink" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/api/image/389121729965850625/1024/10/scaletowidth#tl-389121729965850625;626328886" width="620"/></p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 09 May 2013 12:04:10 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/battle-for-the-ages-the-isildur1-vs-bttech86-graph http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/battle-for-the-ages-the-isildur1-vs-bttech86-graph http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/battle-for-the-ages-the-isildur1-vs-bttech86-graph#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 08 May 2013 08:20:36 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/tim-tebow-playing-poker http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/tim-tebow-playing-poker http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/tim-tebow-playing-poker#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>Webcast schedule:</p> 06/05/2013 MAIN EVENT DAY 1A WITH ADDITIONAL COVERAGE ** START TIME FROM LEVEL 3: APPROX 14:50 CET END TIME APPROX. 20:10 CET 07/05/2013 MAIN EVENT DAY 1B WITH ADDITIONAL COVERAGE ** START TIME FROM LEVEL 4: APPROX 16:00 CET END TIME APPROX. 00:15 CET 08/05/2013 MAIN EVENT DAY 2 WITH ADDITIONAL COVERAGE ** START TIME FROM LEVEL 2: APPROX 13:30 CET END TIME APPROX. 21:00 CET 09/05/2013 MAIN EVENT DAY 3 WITH ADDITIONAL COVERAGE ** START TIME WITH START OF PLAY 12:00 CET END TIME APPROX. 21:00 CET 10/05/2013 MAIN EVENT DAY 4 WITH ADDITIONAL COVERAGE ** START TIME WITH START OF PLAY 12:00 CET END TIME 20:45 CET 11/05/2013 MAIN EVENT DAY 5 WITH ADDITIONAL COVERAGE ** START TIME WITH START OF PLAY 12:00 CET END TIME: PLAYING DOWN TO 8 PLAYERS &amp; POSSIBLE EXTRA COVERAGE AFTER THE ME TABLE 12/05/2013 MAIN EVENT DAY 6 FT – CARDS UP WEBCAST WITH ONE HOUR DELAY START TIME: 14:00 CET END TIME: PLAYING DOWN TO THE WINNER OF THE MAIN EVENT 13/05/2013 SUPER HIGH ROLLER DAY 1 WITH ADDITIONAL COVERAGE ** START TIME 12:00 CET END TIME: 21:00 CET 14/05/2013 SUPER HIGH ROLLER DAY 2 WITH ADDITIONAL COVERAGE ** START TIME 12:00 CET END TIME: WHEN DOWN TO 8 PLAYERS 15/05/2013 SUPER HIGH ROLLER DAY 3 FT – CARDS UP WEBCAST WITH ONE HOUR DELAY START TIME: 14:00 CET END TIME: PLAYING DOWN TO THE WINNER <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Mon, 06 May 2013 06:46:37 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/watch-ept-grand-final-feature-table-live-streaming-right-here http://www.pokerlistings.com/watch-ept-grand-final-feature-table-live-streaming-right-here http://www.pokerlistings.com/watch-ept-grand-final-feature-table-live-streaming-right-here#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 03 May 2013 07:14:59 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/online-gambling-canada http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/online-gambling-canada http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/online-gambling-canada#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 02 May 2013 02:19:47 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/samsung-vs-apple http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/samsung-vs-apple http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/samsung-vs-apple#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>The mobile app, which also works on tablets, is offered in seven languages including English, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian, Dutch and French.</p> <p>Poker Notes Live is available in the <a target="_blank" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.live.free&amp;hl=en">Android Play app store</a> (an iOS version is in the works) and currently offers a 30-day free trial but after that it switches to $1 a month.</p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:07:01 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-notes-live-brings-online-style-notes-to-real-world http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-notes-live-brings-online-style-notes-to-real-world http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-notes-live-brings-online-style-notes-to-real-world#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 25 Apr 2013 05:45:36 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/watch-ept-berlin-feature-table-live-streaming-right-here http://www.pokerlistings.com/watch-ept-berlin-feature-table-live-streaming-right-here http://www.pokerlistings.com/watch-ept-berlin-feature-table-live-streaming-right-here#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:58:45 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/poker-site-opening-africa http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/poker-site-opening-africa http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-joker/poker-site-opening-africa#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:23:18 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/poker-and-psychology http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/poker-and-psychology http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/poker-and-psychology#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 17 Apr 2013 06:38:19 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/10-million-guarantee-poker-tournament http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/10-million-guarantee-poker-tournament http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/10-million-guarantee-poker-tournament#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>By the time the 25th rolled around and there was one week to go, I was running ~$8k below expectation (based on my lifetime EV ROI for the stakes I was playing). Coincidentally, I needed an additional $8k by the end of the month to give my landlords notice.</p> <p>At this point I started considering what I would do based on how the last week of the month went. I didn’t NEED $8k, it was just something I wanted.</p> <p>I could still go to Malta and have more than enough bankroll to play comfortably, but my liferoll would be stretched just a bit thinner than I preferred. Plus I could still play a couple weeks in April before I had to pack up and leave.</p> <p>And that meant I’d probably make money, right? Or I could lose money instead…</p> <h3>Bankroll Nit AND Liferoll Nit</h3> <p>In the end I learned that not only am I a bankroll nit, I am also a huge liferoll nit. My expectation for the remaining week of the month was only around $3k, and I just couldn’t convince myself that I could go to Malta $5k short of what I wanted.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/malta.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-malta.jpg" alt="malta" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Malta: So close, but so far.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Sadly, I decided to scrap the entire idea and stay home for the summer.</p> <p>The other thing I learned is that poker is a horrible form of income for planning anything that requires money you don’t already have. I am pretty sure I’m never going to plan for earning a certain amount from poker ever again!</p> <p>I’d been trying to accumulate the required money since the start of February and felt very sure that I’d make it because I didn’t even have to run at expectation to do it.</p> <p>But then, lo and behold, I didn’t run even close to expectation for either month and all of a sudden, my plans were out of the window.</p> <h3>The Funny Thing Is ...</h3> <p>The funny thing is that I ran hot the last week of the month. I didn’t end up with the $8k that I originally planned for, but I was a lot closer than I thought I would be and I probably could have gone to Malta after all.</p> <p>The problem was that by the 25th I had been so convinced that it just couldn’t happen that I had already started planning for being home in the summer. I told my friends and family that I was staying home, so go ahead and include me in that barbeque/wedding dinner/road trip.</p> <p>I made plans to go to Montreal in May. I rearranged my entire office and decided to buy a new bed. It seems so stupid that I did these things, but I was honestly just doing everything I could to make myself feel better about not being able to go.</p> <p>So when I looked at my balances on Sunday March 30th and saw that it wasn’t as financially risky to go as I thought it would be, I just couldn’t pull the trigger. I didn’t give notice to my landlords and that was it.</p> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG2130.JPG"><img class="image-position-alt image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-IMG2130.JPG" alt="Aussie Millions 2013" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Aussie Millions instead?</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Home for the summer.</p> <h3>Plan B: Australia</h3> <p>Because I want to travel for three months but also need to be home for August, I’m going to have to wait until after the summer to relocate.</p> <p>This isn’t the worst thing in the world since the weather in Vancouver is quite amazing July to September. I’m thinking of leaving in October or November, which gives me plenty of time to prepare.</p> <p>I also had the idea that I might want to go to Australia instead of Malta. I like the Australian time zone, and it would be during their summer months. It would also mean that I get to go to Aussie Millions in January, something I’ve always wanted to do.</p> <p>Since I want to purchase my flight as early as possible, I’m probably going to make my decision for where to go within the next month. If you have travelled to Europe or Australia (or both!) and have some input, please leave a comment!</p> <p>I’d love to hear opinions on where to go and where to live. You can also contact me by email if you’d prefer to stay anonymous; my contact info can be found <a target="_blank" href="http://donkeybrainspoker.com/about">in my other blog</a>.</p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:56:45 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-is-a-horrible-form-of-income-for-planning-anything http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-is-a-horrible-form-of-income-for-planning-anything http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-is-a-horrible-form-of-income-for-planning-anything#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 12 Apr 2013 07:00:30 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker-the-masters http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker-the-masters http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker-the-masters#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:05:28 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/how-louisville-won-the-title http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/how-louisville-won-the-title http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/how-louisville-won-the-title#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:46:05 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/romania-new-gambling-regulator http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/romania-new-gambling-regulator http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/romania-new-gambling-regulator#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 06:45:17 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/late-night-tv-poker-battle http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/late-night-tv-poker-battle http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/late-night-tv-poker-battle#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 29 Mar 2013 03:10:48 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker-happy-easter-2013 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker-happy-easter-2013 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker-happy-easter-2013#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 27 Mar 2013 05:30:30 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/debating-over-same-sex-marriages http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/debating-over-same-sex-marriages http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/debating-over-same-sex-marriages#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 22 Mar 2013 06:56:18 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/march-madness-at-poker-table http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/march-madness-at-poker-table http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/march-madness-at-poker-table#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <h3>Where to Find Games</h3> <p>There are eight poker games scattered across Far Cry 3’s North and South Island.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Screen-shot-2013-03-19-at-12.50.35-PM.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-Screen-shot-2013-03-19-at-12.50.35-PM.jpg" alt="Far Cry 3 Poker Game" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Your competition</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>You unlock the first poker game after conquering the Valsa Docks outpost, which is to the west of Amanaki on the North Island.</p> <p>Poker actually plays an integral point during some of the game’s cut scenes but the hands are all played out automatically and it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose.</p> <p>You can utilize an online map, such <a href="http://ca.ign.com/maps/far-cry-3/northisland">as this one</a>, to see exactly where the eight games are located.</p> <h3>The Game</h3> <p>Poker in Far Cry actually looks great. Every game takes place in a secret room, usually in the back of a bar, and you’ll be playing against an unsavory lot of degenerates who would rather shoot you then lose a pot. Basically it’s like the $2/$4 game at Binion’s in Las Vegas.</p> <p>It’s a visceral experience, as your avatars hands will be displayed carefully holding cards and then peeking at them. Each player reacts to the action and the dealer even shuffles the cards.</p> <p>It would be considered abhorrently slow compared to an actual online poker site but it’s not really about that.</p> <p>The game itself is basic No-Limit Hold’em. The stakes are different wherever you play.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/screenshot31tcm1955460.jpg"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-screenshot31tcm1955460.jpg" alt="Far Cry 3" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Far Cry 3 is really just a more violent version of the PCA.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <h3>How to Win</h3> <p>Far Cry 3’s virtual poker opponents tend to call a lot. A good strategy is to wait until you have two pair and then jam. Most of the time you’ll induce a call from at least one of them.</p> <p>Standard <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/strategy/how-not-to-suck-at-poker-examples-abc-poker">ABC tight-aggressive poker</a> works for the most part. Check out this <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/strategy/beginner/ten-minute-texas-holdem-crashcourse">10-minute Texas Hold'em Crash Course</a> if you've never played Hold'em).</p> <p>There are four different skill levels including practice, novice, skilled and expert. Allegedly players get more aggressive as the difficulty level goes up so tightening up isn’t the worst strategy. </p> <p>The games are all short-handed with four players. Each opponent tends to play a little differently too.</p> <h3>A Super Easy Achievement</h3> <p>There’s an extremely easy bonus available to achievement hunters in Far Cry 3. If you manage to win more than $1,500 cumulative cash by playing poker you’ll receive the Poker Bully award. It’s as simple as that.</p> <h3>The Sure Bet (Also Known as Cheating)</h3> <p>The great thing about video games is that you always get a second, or third, or fourth chance.</p> <p>You can cheat the poker game by using the old “re-load your game until you get it right” trick.</p> <p>In other words simply save your game before you start playing the highest-stakes game and then go into shove mode, pushing all-in on every hand. If you lose, just reload your saved game. If you win, exit the poker game, save, and then try again.</p> <p>Rinse/repeat and you’re on your way to all the cash you could possibly need.</p> <p><a href="https://plus.google.com/103096706558939681989" rel="me" target="_blank">Follow the author on Google+</a></p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:37:12 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/how-to-crush-the-poker-mini-game-in-far-cry-3 http://www.pokerlistings.com/how-to-crush-the-poker-mini-game-in-far-cry-3 http://www.pokerlistings.com/how-to-crush-the-poker-mini-game-in-far-cry-3#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 20 Mar 2013 05:30:07 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/lindsay-lohan-sentenced-to-90-day-rehab http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/lindsay-lohan-sentenced-to-90-day-rehab http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/lindsay-lohan-sentenced-to-90-day-rehab#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>I’ve always believed that one of the best things about playing poker for a living is the freedom it provides. Gone are the days of waking up earlier than you want to and turning down invitations because you have to work a certain night.</p> <p>You simply get to do what you want when you want.</p> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Courtney-Gee-1.JPG"><img class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-Courtney-Gee-1.JPG" alt="Courtney Gee 1" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Courtney is coming to terms with what it really means to be a poker pro.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>I took this concept a little too far the last couple of years, though. Being able to play whenever I wanted meant getting up too late every day and missing peak playing hours.</p> <p>Being able to make my own schedule meant missing the best poker days of the week because people wanted to hang out on the weekends.</p> <p>Living this way would have been fine if I had worked hard the times I wasn’t sleeping in and hanging out with friends, but I didn’t. I wanted it to be easy.</p> <p>Working 40 hours per week was for suckers with full time jobs. I wanted to play 15 hours per week, win some MTTs, and have a relaxing life.</p> <p>Looking back at this, I feel disgusted. I wasted almost two entire years doing nothing. I barely made any money, and I barely improved as a player.</p> <p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/adapting-to-stay-profitable-courtney-gee-poker-update">Games are getting more difficult to win every year,</a> and instead of winning as much money as I could while the opportunity was there, I pressed snooze eight times every morning and spent more time on my couch than in my computer chair.</p> <h3>Making Up for Lost Time</h3> <p>I don’t want to waste another year, so I’m finally making poker a priority. It was tough to play lots of hours at the start of the year thanks to issues in my personal life, but the last two weeks have been very good and this week is shaping up to be a good one as well.</p> <p>I’m reviewing every day and playing more games than ever before. I just need to keep it up.</p> <p>Another reason to play as much poker as possible is that I am trying to save for a trip.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Courtney-Gee-2.JPG"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-Courtney-Gee-2.JPG" alt="Courtney Gee 2" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Courtney in Peru.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Besides <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/courtney-gee-lapt-peru-trip-report-part-1">going to LAPT Peru</a> last year, I haven’t done much traveling the past few years. Since the opportunity for travel is arguably one of the best things about playing poker for a living, I figured I better do it while I still can.</p> <p>The plan is to put everything in storage and go to Malta for 3 months. If I like it, I will probably come back to Canada, stay home for 3 months, and then go back to Europe again.</p> <p>The idea is to have a home base in another country so that I can travel to as many places nearby as possible. I have only been overseas once and it was to the UK, so there are plenty of places I haven’t seen.</p> <p>I would like to leave in May so that I can be back home by August, so I need to make money as soon as possible. In order to leave for Europe in May I have to give notice to my landlords at the start of April, so the pressure is actually on to make as much money as possible this month.</p> <p>Wish me luck! Hopefully my next entry here is filled with plans for Malta. If you want to follow my day-to-day poker progress in the meantime, please <a target="_blank" href="http://donkeybrainspoker.com">follow my other blog.</a></p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:00:44 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/moving-to-malta-and-making-poker-a-priority http://www.pokerlistings.com/moving-to-malta-and-making-poker-a-priority http://www.pokerlistings.com/moving-to-malta-and-making-poker-a-priority#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:29:21 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/online-poker-hurting-vegas-casino-revenues http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/online-poker-hurting-vegas-casino-revenues http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/online-poker-hurting-vegas-casino-revenues#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p><a href="https://plus.google.com/104078440048835204924" rel="me" target="_blank">Follow the author on Google+</a></p> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/mattshowell">Follow the author on Twitter</a></p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:19:09 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/easy-game-episode-6-terrence-chan-video-mini-doc http://www.pokerlistings.com/easy-game-episode-6-terrence-chan-video-mini-doc http://www.pokerlistings.com/easy-game-episode-6-terrence-chan-video-mini-doc#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 13 Mar 2013 05:35:03 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/makers-of-farmville-playing-poker http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/makers-of-farmville-playing-poker http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/makers-of-farmville-playing-poker#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Sun, 10 Mar 2013 12:04:19 -0700 http://www.pokerlistings.com/watch-ept-london-feature-table-live-streaming-here http://www.pokerlistings.com/watch-ept-london-feature-table-live-streaming-here http://www.pokerlistings.com/watch-ept-london-feature-table-live-streaming-here#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 07 Mar 2013 07:11:25 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/first-draft-new-jersey-online-gaming-bill http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/first-draft-new-jersey-online-gaming-bill http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/first-draft-new-jersey-online-gaming-bill#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 05 Mar 2013 05:36:49 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/sequester-causing-congress-to-make-cuts http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/sequester-causing-congress-to-make-cuts http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/sequester-causing-congress-to-make-cuts#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:55:51 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/cardinals-playing-poker http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/cardinals-playing-poker http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/cardinals-playing-poker#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 26 Feb 2013 05:23:18 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/oscar-winners-at-poker-table http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/oscar-winners-at-poker-table http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/oscar-winners-at-poker-table#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <h3>What is a Neo Poker Bot? </h3> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Screen-shot-2013-02-21-at-11.31.25-AM.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-Screen-shot-2013-02-21-at-11.31.25-AM.jpg" alt="Neo Bot Poker" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">There are six ways to play Neo Bot Poker.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>The makers of Neo Poker Bot call it an “Advanced Poker Artificial Intelligence,” which is really just another way of saying it’s a really good bot (check <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/the-future-of-poker-bots">here for a great explanation of how poker bots work</a>).</p> <p>Neo Poker Bot has been in development for a number of years and the finished product has demonstrated excellent results against real poker players.</p> <p>The showcase feature of Neo Poker Bot is that it adjusts its style of play based on your strategy. It learns. Basically it will analyze data it has compiled against you and act accordingly. For example if you play too tight, the bot will start to loosen up.</p> <p>The software won an award at the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.computerpokercompetition.org/">2012 Annual Poker Competition</a>.</p> <p>Currently Neo Pot Poker offers No-Limit and Limit Hold’em. Heads-Up is free to play while 3-Max and 6-Max are only available to registered users.</p> <p>We found Heads-Up to be the most compelling format.</p> <h3>Why Should I Care?</h3> <p>It’s always useful to be able to spot a bot when playing poker online and Neo Poker Bot represents the next step in poker A.I. technology.</p> <p>If nothing else it should give you a unique perspective on the patterns in your game and how people adapt to it.</p> <p>It’s also just an interesting piece of technology in general.</p> <h3>Is it Good?</h3> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Screen-shot-2013-02-21-at-11.31.09-AM.jpg"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-Screen-shot-2013-02-21-at-11.31.09-AM.jpg" alt="Neo Bot Poker" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">The Neo Poker Bot leaderboard</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>We played around with the Neo Poker Bot in the No-Limit Hold’em games for several hours and found that it was superior to most poker AI’s.</p> <p>Perhaps the most surprising factor of the Neo Bot is just how aggressive it can be. Computer poker programs are notorious for being calling stations and only raising with the best hand.</p> <p>That’s not the case with Neo Bot, as the program will put a lot pressure on its opponent and check-raises frequently.</p> <p>The computer does seem to adapt quite well and it can feel like you are playing a completely different player in a manner of minutes.</p> <p>We found the bot useful in identifying patterns in a player's game.</p> <p>It’s also worth noting the bots never cheat and don’t know the cards that will be dealt or your hand.</p> <p>The software is very simple, but for the most part gets the job done. It would be nice to have escalating blinds in future versions.</p> <h3>Is it Worth Checking Out?</h3> <p>Sure. It’s free and you don’t even have to sign-up for the heads-up games. It’s a surprisingly educational experience. Be sure to stick around for a few hands, however, just so the computer has time to build a database against you.</p> <p>The computer sometimes changes its strategy in a huge way if you start to become predictable.</p> <p>In addition Neo Poker Laboratory is running an online leaderboard for 2013 to see who can profit the most against their A.I.’s. Currently player qwer is leading the way with $22,030 profit (not real of course) in 3,139 hands on the site.</p> <p>You can check out the software for free at <a target="_blank" href="http://neopokerbot.com/">www.neopokerbot.com</a>.</p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:50:14 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/neo-bot-poker-the-next-step-in-artificial-poker-intelligence http://www.pokerlistings.com/neo-bot-poker-the-next-step-in-artificial-poker-intelligence http://www.pokerlistings.com/neo-bot-poker-the-next-step-in-artificial-poker-intelligence#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 21 Feb 2013 05:37:08 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/spielberg-plays-poker-with-lincoln http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/spielberg-plays-poker-with-lincoln http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/spielberg-plays-poker-with-lincoln#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:43:22 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/nevada-gaming-lockout http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/nevada-gaming-lockout http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/nevada-gaming-lockout#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 05:12:14 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/playing-for-a-cruise http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/playing-for-a-cruise http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/playing-for-a-cruise#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 13 Feb 2013 02:44:35 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/obama-on-a-roll http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/obama-on-a-roll http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/obama-on-a-roll#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>I tried to make the most of the quality hours I did get in January, however, and fortunately ran really well. I played primarily $100s to $200s with a few $300s here and there and was able to achieve a 3.5% EV ROI. I’m not sure if this ROI is sustainable, but I’ll take it while I can get it!</p> <h3>Decreasing Average Buy-In to Pad Life-Roll</h3> <p>I cut back on the number of $300s I was playing because I wanted to temporarily decrease my average buy-in and build my bankroll a bit.</p> <p>I had decided to pad my backup living expenses with a portion of my bankroll, and I didn’t feel comfortable playing a $200+ average buy-in with the bankroll that I had leftover.</p> <p>My average buy-in is around $150 at the moment, and I’m planning on keeping it this way until I profit another $10k. This will give me some cash for expenses and also add a healthy amount to my bankroll.</p> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Courtney-Gee-1.JPG"><img class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-Courtney-Gee-1.JPG" alt="Courtney Gee 1" width="180" height="320"/></a></div> <p>If I play the volume I’m planning on playing in February, I might be able to get this done in a month (assuming I <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/strategy/expected-value-ev-explained">run at expectation).</a> At the latest, I better have this done by sometime in March.</p> <p>That said, I almost certainly have a big enough bankroll to play full blown $300s by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/should-i-go-pro-part-1-the-bankroll">a “normal” player’s standards.</a></p> <p>Basically, though, there are two types of players: those that move up as soon as possible and just move down if they lose some, and those that don’t want to move down once they move up. I’m in the second category.</p> <h3>Win More and Get Better before Moving Up</h3> <p>I don’t think there’s anything wrong with taking shots, but I suspect they are a lot worse when it comes to hyper HU.</p> <p>Once you get up to stakes $100+, you actually start to get tested by better players. Sure you can run good versus them at first and shoot up to high stakes, but you’ll lose it back really fast if you’re not actually skilled enough to be at that level.</p> <p>And unlike some forms of poker (like multi-table tournaments), you’re pretty much guaranteed to lose the money if you’re a mediocre player because regs have the ability to sit you relentlessly.</p> <p>In my opinion, the better way to do it is to build a bankroll that has some breathing room at the stakes you want to move up to. Work at becoming a better player so that when you do move up, you can stay up.</p> <p>I think this is much better than taking shots at higher stakes HU and just moving down when you lose 20 buy-ins (or however many it is for you).</p> <p>Obviously the method of moving up and then moving down when you lose some works great if you’re an established regular that won’t get tested as much at the higher buy-ins, but this isn’t the case for most players.</p> <p>Most players aren’t respected and have to battle to get left alone. If you’re going to battle, you may as well have enough money to battle for a while, win, and then stick around to enjoy your lobbies.</p> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/courtiebee">Follow Courtney on Twitter</a></p> <p><a target="_blank" href="http://donkeybrainspoker.com">Follow Courtney's Personal Poker Blog</a></p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:58:10 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/emotional-stress-big-roi-advice-for-moving-up http://www.pokerlistings.com/emotional-stress-big-roi-advice-for-moving-up http://www.pokerlistings.com/emotional-stress-big-roi-advice-for-moving-up#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>Just a few of the natural obstacles in the way of love on the poker-room floor:</p> 95% male demographic Brutally long, late hours - either grinding away at dual monitors or slugging along at a glacial pace in a casino, 12-24 hour sessions are standard. Wild swings in success/income/emotional and financial stability Sedentary lifestyle not conducive to good health and/or frequent sun exposure Increasingly competitive field requiring more and more study to maintain a shrinking edge <p>There are more, but that covers the main ones. Makes a 9-5 office job look like a dirty weekend at a Sandals Hedonism Resort, really.</p> <p>Still, love and relationships surprisingly can flourish in poker. Perhaps even more so, as it’s such a specialized and insular world it almost requires a better half that understands just how painful or exhilarating the whims of variance can be.</p> <p>If you’re a woman in poker, chances are also pretty good you won’t have to try very hard to find a willing partner.</p> <p>In honor of the ever-looming Valentine’s Day, here are 20 very impressive poker couples who’ve bucked the odds and literally flopped the nuts in life - finding both love and success at the tables.</p> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/jen-harman-and-marco-traniello-32297.jpg"><img class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-jen-harman-and-marco-traniello-32297.jpg" alt="Jen Harman and Marco Traniello" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Harman and Traniello at Ante Up for Africa.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <h3>1. Jennifer Harman/Marco Traniello</h3> <p>Two of the first names that usually come up when talking about poker couples -- and also one of the few pairs where the female half of the equation is the poker groundbreaker.</p> <p>Harman is one of the greatest players in the game’s history, male or female. The only woman to play regularly in the highest-stakes cash games in Vegas, Harman has been a consistent winner for two decades.</p> <p>She also has 2 WSOP bracelets and $2.6 million in career tournament earnings. As a result of that success, Harman recently starred in a (quickly canceled) reality show called <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/daily-3-bet-dnegs-crash-elky-plunge-sin-city-rules-47356">Sin City Rules</a> about Las Vegas “power women.”</p> <p>Despite $700k in career tournament cashes of his own, Traniello plays second fiddle to Harman in the poker department.</p> <p>Originally a hairdresser from Italy, the two met in the parking garage of the Bellagio where their cars were parked next to each other. They have two twin boys together.</p> <h3>2. Erick Lindgren/Erica Schoenberg</h3> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/erica-schoenberg-29004.jpg"><img class="image-position-alt image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-erica-schoenberg-29004.jpg" alt="Erica Schoenberg" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Big hit in her playing days.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Lindgren was once one of poker’s golden boys as a fully sponsored pro and shareholder in Full Tilt Poker.</p> <p>Extremely well liked in the poker community, thanks to his frequent TV appearances and charming personality, Lindgren won <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-player-interviews/wsop/2008/monkey-off-my-back-the-lindgren-interview">his first WSOP bracelet</a> to much fanfare in 2008.</p> <p>With 2 WPT titles and $8.5 million in career tournament earnings, he’s still one of the most successful poker pros in history.</p> <p>After the events of Black Friday and the end of his massive monthly FTP dividends, though, things went south for Lindgren as <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/daily-3-bet-lindgren-loser-mercier-v-elky-zoom-in-34274">a series of large, unpaid gambling debts</a> surfaced.</p> <p>Schoenberg, dubbed “TheHitWoman” at one point, had her own successful career in poker with live tourney earnings over $750k.</p> <p>A former professional model, Blackjack pro, volleyball player and personal trainer, she also made a much-shared appearance in Carmen Electra’s Strip Poker DVD.</p> <p>The two now have returned to Las Vegas while Lindgren tries to rebuild his poker career. They have a one-year old son, Jake.</p> <h3>3. Phil Laak/Jennifer Tilly</h3> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/jentillycannes3.jpg"><img class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-jentillycannes3.jpg" alt="jentillycannes3" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">J. Tilly</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Laak, dubbed “The Unabomber” in the early days of the poker boom for wearing a hoodie at the tables, is a long-time pro who won his first and only WSOP bracelet in London in 2010.</p> <p>A fixture in the televised high-stakes cash games and best pal of Antonio Esfandiari, Laak met Tilly at the WPT Invitational in Los Angeles in 2004.</p> <p>Tilly, naturally nicknamed the "Unabombshell,” is a well known Hollywood actress praised for her roles in Bound, Bride of Chucky and her Best Supporting Actress-nomination for Woody Allen’s Bullets over Broadway.</p> <p>Also the owner of a WSOP bracelet (2004 Ladies event), Tilly has virtually converted to a full-time poker pro and is a regular on the poker circuit when not acting.</p> <p>She has over $700,000 in career tournament cashes and has made several appearances on televised high-stakes cash games, including <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoZJVT7qTdg">a famous turn on Poker After Dark</a> where she checked a full house on the river to Patrik Antonius.</p> <p>Tilly was previously married to Sam Simon, developer and producer of the Simpsons and also an avid poker player.</p> <h3>4. Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier/Cathy Hong</h3> <p>The #1 French player in the world, ElkY was a champion Starcraft player and superstar in Korea before moving into poker at the age of 23.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG0232.JPG"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-IMG0232.JPG" alt="Bertrand Grospellier" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">ElkY: Star of his craft.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>A <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/elky-wins-first-wsop-bracelet-and-poker-s-triple-crown-10914">Triple Crown winner</a> with EPT and WPT wins in 2008 and a WSOP bracelet in 2011, Grospellier now has over $10 million in career earnings.</p> <p>Hong met Grospellier on a blind date in South Korea during ElkY’s Starcraft days but at the time had no idea who he was.</p> <p>They kept up a long-distance relationship while Hong was in school and ElkY pursued his poker career before he convinced her to join him on the poker circuit in 2008.</p> <p>Hong now regularly plays EPT Ladies events and has $146,000 in live cashes.</p> <h3>5. Kara Scott/Giovanni Rizzo</h3> <p>Another couple where the female half is the more famous name, Scott is a very popular poker personality most known these days as the tableside host for ESPN’s World Series of Poker broadcast.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/4841a-Kara-Scott2.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-4841a-Kara-Scott2.jpg" alt="4841a Kara Scott2" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Scott: Camera ready.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Also <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/videos/v/battle-of-malta-full-video-recap-with-kara-scott-16944437">the host for the PokerListings.com Battle of Malta</a> last year, Scott came into the game of poker via producing and hosting a TV show about kickboxing on British TV.</p> <p>Spotted on the martial arts show Scott became the host of two Backgammon programs before moving on to Poker Night Live, Sky Poker and eventually GSN’s High Stakes Poker.</p> <p>Scott also has some poker chops of her own as she finished second at the 2009 Irish Open for €312,600.</p> <p>Her boyfriend Rizzo, a law school grad and sponsored pro for GD Poker in Italy, is a rising star in the game in his own right.</p> <p>With just $100k in career live earnings, Rizzo still spends much of his time on projects outside of poker but when he plays, he’s a contender to go deep as he did in both the 2010 and 2011 WSOP Main Events.</p> <p>The two now live and play poker together in Italy.</p> <h3>6. David Sands/Erika Moutinho</h3> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG2605.JPG"><img class="image-position-alt image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-IMG2605.JPG" alt="Erika Moutinho" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Erika Moutinho</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>David "Doc" Sands and Erika Moutinho are most known to the average poker fan for their side-by-side deep runs in the 2011 WSOP Main Event.</p> <p>Getting plenty of feature coverage on ESPN, Sands and Moutinho went further than any couple had before, eventually busting in 30th and 29th, respectively.</p> <p>Their total combined cash was just short of half a million dollars.</p> <p>Sands has since gone on to become a staple on the high-stakes live tournament scene, going deep in several big-buy-in tournaments and compiling over $2.5 million in cashes.</p> <p>Moutinho, possibly even more popular than Sands during that WSOP run, was the last woman standing in the Main Event for that year, joining an illustrious group of "Last Women" that includes Leo Margets, Maria Ho, Tiffany Michelle and Gaëlle Baumann.</p> <p>The two have been together for over eight years and are still going strong with a wedding planned for this year.</p> <h3>7. Liv Boeree/Kevin MacPhee</h3> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/kevinmacpheeept8berd3w.jpg"><img class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-kevinmacpheeept8berd3w.jpg" alt="kevinmacpheeept8berd3w" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Kevin MacPhee</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>An astrophysics grad and heavy metal guitarist, Boeree had her breakthrough win on the poker circuit at EPT San Remo in 2010, taking home $1.7 million.</p> <p>With her good looks and tomboy hobbies, Boeree turned that win into a PokerStars sponsorship and is now one of the most popular pros, male or female, in the world.</p> <p>Boeree was introduced to poker via the reality TV show Ultimatepoker.com Showdown on British TV, where she was coached by Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke and Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott.</p> <p>She’s since gone on to dozens of notable cashes but her win at San Remo makes up the bulk of her $2.2 million in career earnings.</p> <p>MacPhee has his own major EPT title as he won the EPT Berlin main event in 2010 – <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/macphee-wins-robbery-delayed-ept-berlin-37647">the one where the casino was robbed</a> – for a life-changing €1m score.</p> <p>An American from Idaho, MacPhee has over $2.3 million in live cashes and an even more impressive $4 million online, where he’s known as “ImaLuckSac.”</p> <p>Recently the two were featured in a one-off travel show called I Bet My Life that chronicled their trip to Monaco for the EPT Grand Final.</p> <h3>8. Lex Veldhuis/Evelyn Ng</h3> <p>Another of the more famous poker couples, Veldhuis and Ng are two of the most high-profile and successful pros in the world.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/0274-Evelyn-Ng.jpg"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-0274-Evelyn-Ng.jpg" alt="Evelyn Ng" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Evelyn Ng</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Veldhuis is a Team PokerStars pro from the Netherlands who found his way to poker via Starcraft and his friend ElkY.</p> <p>Now a regular in the highest-stakes games online, Veldhuis has also made appearances on High Stakes Poker.</p> <p>Ng is a Canadian now based in Las Vegas who has been a sponsored pro with Bodog since 2007.</p> <p>Ng was one of the first major, high-profile female poker pros on the scene in the mid-2000s and a familiar face to anyone who has watched ESPN’s WSOP coverage over the years.</p> <p>Originally a pool player, Ng found her way into poker through dealing in Toronto poker clubs and through dating Daniel Negreanu.</p> <h3>9. Tatjana Pasalic/McLean Karr</h3> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG1493.JPG"><img class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-IMG1493.JPG" alt="Tatjana Pasalic" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Tatjana Pasalic</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Pasalic might be the higher profile of the two in terms of fans but both have experienced tremendous success in the poker industry over the last few years.</p> <p>Croatian-born Pasalic is a Bodog rep and one of the most popular hosts in poker, getting her start hosting the Unibet Open in 2009.</p> <p>Considered one of the "sexiest women in poker," Pasalic has posed for numerous photo shoots for magazines including FHM Croatia, WPT Magazine and CalvinAyre.com.</p> <p>Karr is a high-stakes tourney regular with several big cashes over the last few years including a WPT Bay 101 title and EPT London High Roller title.</p> <p>A former member of the US Air Force, Karr also has over $2 million in online cashes to his credit.</p> <p>The two are based in Zagreb, Croatia but as avid travelers are seen frequently all over Europe at poker tournaments.</p> <h3>10. Sofia Lovgren/Luca Moschitta</h3> <p>Known (and feared) online under the nickname "Wellbet," Lovgren became the first female PKR pro in 2010 at just 20 years old.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG1270.JPG"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-IMG1270.JPG" alt="Sofia Lovgren" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Sofia Lovgren.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>She’s yet to break through with a huge live score  but has been a consistent winner online since the get-go.</p> <p>She earned her spot on the PKR pro team by playing an insane volume of games and being one of the biggest and most consistent winners on the site.</p> <p>Moschitta is a SuperNova Elite and PokerStars Team Online pro from Italy.</p> <p>Moschitta’s major claim to fame was cashing in his FPPs for two Porsches. He also had a runner-up finish at the 2011 IPT Nova Gorica main event.</p> <h3>11.  Ivan Demidov/Lika Gerasimova</h3> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/ivan-demidov-30693.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-ivan-demidov-30693.jpg" alt="Ivan Demidov" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Ivan Demidov</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Considered the “Russian Chris Moneymaker” for the impact his runner-up finish in the 2008 WSOP Main Event had on poker in Russia, Demidov was also the first poker player to make the final tables of the WSOP and WSOPE Main Events in the same year.</p> <p>Demidov's career earnings of $6.7 million are mostly form those two WSOP final-table appearances but he's still a steady casher in poker tournaments around the globe.</p> <p>The understated Gerasimova, with $400k in live earnings herself, has built her own very successful poker career with a WSOP final table in 2009 to her credit.</p> <h3>12. Lacey Jones/Keith Gipson</h3> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/0452-Lacey-Jones.jpg"><img class="image-position-alt image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-0452-Lacey-Jones.jpg" alt="Lacey Jones" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Lacey Jones</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>A former poker presenter and occasional pro, Jones now enjoys a lucrative modeling career based in Hong Kong.</p> <p>Hired on as a sponsored pro by Absolute Poker in 2005, Jones later moved on to become the official host and bracelet presenter for the World Series of Poker.</p> <p>Freqeuntly dubbed "the hottest girl on poker," Jones also has $23,920 in career live cashes.</p> <p>Gipson began his career as a professional blackjack player before moving on to poker and quickly up to the highest-stakes cash games in Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio in Vegas.</p> <p>A former Victory Poker pro, Gipson is friends with well known high-stakes pros Dan Bilzerian, Andrew Robl, Brian Rast and Antonio Esfandiari.</p> <p>Much more a cash game than tournament player, Gipson picked up his biggest career tourney score with a fifth-place finish in last year’s Manila Millions for over $350k.</p> <h3>13. Ana Marquez/Bryn Kenney</h3> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG1690.JPG"><img class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-IMG1690.JPG" alt="Ana Marquez" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Ana Marquez</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>A pro for about three years now, Marquez is the #2 female player in the history of Spain with over $365k in career cashes.</p> <p>Among her impressive results are a runner-up finish in a PLO event at the WSOPE, a second in the Sunday 500 and a 10th-place finish in the 2011 PCA Main Event.</p> <p>A Spanish national, Marquez's introduction to the game came in America where she grew up in the same hometown as 2012 WSOP champ Greg Merson – who actually transferred her her first $20 online.</p> <p>Her current boyfriend, Bryn Kenney, is who she credits for taking her game to the next level.</p> <p>Playing online as “OneUponaStar,” Kenney is a long-time online pro who plays regularly in the highest-stakes cash games and tournaments and has appeared on the PokerStars Big Game.</p> <p>Kenney has $2.7 million in live earnings including a final table in a PCA High Roller and a 28th in the 2010 WSOP Main Event.</p> <h3>14. Katja Thater/Jan von Halle</h3> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/jan-von-halle-8576.jpg"><img class="image-position-alt image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-jan-von-halle-8576.jpg" alt="Jan von Halle" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Jan von Halle</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Before becoming a professional poker player, Thater was the director of an Event/Marketing company in Hamburg, Germany.</p> <p>Thater first stepped into a poker game in 1999 when she had to sit in on a high-stakes limit poker game for her husband, von Halle.</p> <p>She'd never played before but after taking down a pot before he came back quickly got the poker bug and turned pro as a cash-game player in 2000.</p> <p>Thater went on to become a PokerStars pro, earn her first WSOP bracelet in 2007 in Razz and to date has over $430k in live tournament earnings.</p> <p>Von Halle is a true poker original with listed tournament cashes dating back to 2001 and an extensive cash-game history in Germany.</p> <p>He’s played poker since 1992 and has made three WSOP final tables so far.</p> <p>Known as 50outs online, von Halle was also one of the first poker bloggers and in 2006 created the German PokerStars blog.</p> <h3>15. Cherish Andrews/Orson Young</h3> <p>The 23-year-old Andrews <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/cherish-andrews-looks-to-improve-on-wsop-performance-46646">became a major rising star in poker</a> in 2012 with six cashes, a final table and several deep runs at the World Series of Poker.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG4622.JPG"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-IMG4622.JPG" alt="Cherish Andrews" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Cherish Andrews</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Most notably she finished 4th in Event 43 for $210,083 – by far her biggest career score to date.</p> <p>Born and raised in small-town Pennsylvania, Andrews started playing poker at 14 and learned from her brothers. She’s also good friends with poker pro Christian Harder and credits him for a lot of her early development.</p> <p>Another person she credits for dramatically improving her game is her boyfriend Young – a predominantly online pro who’s still picked up $161k in live earnings in his career.</p> <h3>16. Adrienne Rowsome/Ryan Carter</h3> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/talonchick.jpg"><img class="image-position-alt image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-talonchick.jpg" alt="talonchick" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Adrienne Rowsome</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Known as “talonchick” online, Rowsome is a mixed-game and Omaha specialist who signed on with Team PokerStars Online in 2011.</p> <p>One of the most active PokerStars Team Online pros when it comes to blogging and social media, Rowsome is also an occupational therapist in her day-to-day life.</p> <p>On the felt Rowsome has a multitude of Omaha wins and cashes online and recently took down the $1k Triple Stud event at the 2013 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.</p> <p>Carter, who met Rowsome through friend and fellow pro Eric Crain at the 2011 WSOP, recently had his biggest career score when he chopped the PokerStars WCOOP main event.</p> <p>Carter ultimately finished second after a six-way deal and banked $662,000.</p> <p>The two now live together and grind online from Peachland, British Columbia.</p> <h3>17. Collin Moshman/Katie Dozier</h3> <p>Moshman is a professional online sit-and-go player and one of the premier SNG coaches in the world. He’s the author of several best-selling poker strategy books and is the lead SNG coach for online training site CardRunners.com</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/collinmoshman.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-collinmoshman.jpg" alt="collinmoshman" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Collin Moshman</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>His wife Dozier is also an online grinder, co-author and <a href="http://grindettes.com/">a member of the “Grindettes” team</a> that includes fellow female pros Jamie Kerstetter, Katie Stone and Jennifer Shahade.</p> <p>Like her husband, Dozier also delves into coaching and training videos and has produced sought-after videos for several training sites.</p> <p>The two now live in Mexico full-time so they can continue playing online poker.</p> <h3>18. Claudia Crawford/Gabe Costner</h3> <p>Crawford was a virtual unknown in the wider poker world until a deep run in the 2011 WSOP thrust her into the spotlight.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG540.JPG"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-IMG540.JPG" alt="Claudia Crawford" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Claudia Crawford</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>A Gulfport, Missisppi-based pro with several nice cashes in her career, Crawford hit her biggest at that WSOP when she finished 85th for $76,146.</p> <p>She returned in 2012 and made another deep run, this time finishing 290th for $38,453.</p> <p>Crawford also recently won a $300 tourney at the Million Dollar Heater series in Biloxi for $38,925 to bump her career earnings to a very respectable $234k.</p> <p>Costner is also a Gulfport-based pro with $1.1 million in live tournament earnings. He's most known for a deep run in the 2010 WSOP main event along with another WSOP final table and a WPT final table.</p> <h3>19. Christina Lindley/David Randall</h3> <p>One of the 30 or so new members of Team IveyPoker, Lindley is a former model who was "discovered" at a mall in Georgia and went on to appear in several major magazines.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/0837-Christina-Lindley.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-0837-Christina-Lindley.jpg" alt="Christina Lindley" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Christina Lindley</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Online she plays under the name lindleyloo22 and has just under $1 million in career cashes including a runner-up finish in an FTOPS event for $106,000.</p> <p>She now spends part of her time in Vancouver to continue playing online and grinds regularly at the Venetian in Las Vegas.</p> <p>Boyfriend Randall is a poker pro and coach from Ohio with over $400k in live earnings and over $2.6 million online.</p> <p>The two were the last couple standing in the 2012 WSOP main event and met grinding $2/$5 at the Venetian.</p> <h3>20. Annette Obrestad/Scott Montgomery</h3> <p>Technically these two are no longer a couple but we’d be remiss not to mention the notable union of Obrestad and Montgomery.</p> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG2454.JPG"><img class="image-position-alt image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-IMG2454.JPG" alt="Annette Obrestad" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Annette_15</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Obrestad is simply one of the most influential and successful young players in the game over the last decade.</p> <p>Her screen name, “Annette_15,” is hallowed among online circles for her groundbreaking aggressive play and creative exploits, including winning a tournament without looking at her hole cards.</p> <p>Claiming to have never made a deposit online, Obrestad racked up hundreds of thousands in online cashes before ever being able to set foot in a casino. She then burst on to the live scene in 2007 by winning the WSOPE Main Event in London at just 18 years of age for $2 million USD.</p> <p>Now a Lock Poker pro, Obrestad has gone on to tally up $3.7 million in career live earnings to go along with the hundreds of thousands she won online in her youth.</p> <p>A member of the first November Nine in 2008, Montgomery eventually busted in fifth to eventual champ Peter Eastgate. He took home over $3 million then and followed up in 2010 by winning his first bracelet for another $481,760.</p> <p>Montgomery is another in a long line of very successful poker players from the University of Waterloo math program.</p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 08 Feb 2013 08:39:50 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/flopping-the-nuts-20-highly-successful-poker-couples http://www.pokerlistings.com/flopping-the-nuts-20-highly-successful-poker-couples http://www.pokerlistings.com/flopping-the-nuts-20-highly-successful-poker-couples#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:35:18 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/watch-ept-deauville-feature-table-live-streaming-here http://www.pokerlistings.com/watch-ept-deauville-feature-table-live-streaming-here http://www.pokerlistings.com/watch-ept-deauville-feature-table-live-streaming-here#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:06:57 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/online-poker-hurts-horse-racing http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/online-poker-hurts-horse-racing http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/online-poker-hurts-horse-racing#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 31 Jan 2013 03:58:25 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/nate-silver-pokerlistings-interview http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/nate-silver-pokerlistings-interview http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/nate-silver-pokerlistings-interview#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 30 Jan 2013 07:00:14 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/uk-online-gambling-is-up http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/uk-online-gambling-is-up http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/uk-online-gambling-is-up#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG1984.JPG" alt="IMG1984"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG2454.JPG" alt="Annette Obrestad"/><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 30 Jan 2013 04:37:41 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/the-new-annette-obrestad http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/the-new-annette-obrestad http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/the-new-annette-obrestad#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 29 Jan 2013 05:45:03 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/what-is-next-for-mike-matusow http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/what-is-next-for-mike-matusow http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/what-is-next-for-mike-matusow#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Mon, 28 Jan 2013 04:22:04 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/reason-for-online-poker-decline-italy http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/reason-for-online-poker-decline-italy http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/reason-for-online-poker-decline-italy#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 25 Jan 2013 02:43:19 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/jennifer-tilly-exposed-nbc http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/jennifer-tilly-exposed-nbc http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/jennifer-tilly-exposed-nbc#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 24 Jan 2013 04:45:24 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/beyonce-not-playing http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/beyonce-not-playing http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/beyonce-not-playing#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <h3>From PokerRPG to CasinoRPG</h3> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/James-Simpson.png"><img class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-James-Simpson.png" alt="James Simpson" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">James Simpson made his first poker video game in high school.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>The 24-year-old Simpson is an intriguing story in his own right. He was motivated to design video games from a young age in Oklahoma City and <a target="_blank" href="http://goldfirestudios.com/">GoldFire Studios</a> was essentially born out of a number of projects he was working on during high school.</p> <p>It was around this time Simpson started playing poker home games (he was too young to play in the casino) and quickly fell in love with the game.</p> <p>Simpson wanted to do more than play home games, however. He wanted the complete poker experience. It was this desire that led him to create <a target="_blank" href="http://pokerrpg.com/">PokerRPG</a>.</p> <p>“The reason I started PokerRPG in 2006 was because I loved poker and I loved role-playing games but there was nowhere to play both at the same time,” he said.</p> <p>The game gave users a chance to play cards but also customize their poker player avatar by designing their own pad, chat with friends and invest in poker stocks. </p> <p>PokerRPG went on to develop a strong community and over 13 million hands have been played in the game. </p> <h3>Going Bigger and Better With CasinoRPG</h3> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/screen6.jpg"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-screen6.jpg" alt="Poker table casinoRPG" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Poker will play a big part of CasinoRPG</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Simpson describes CasinoRPG as the next level of PokerRPG. You can still play poker in the game but there are also table games like blackjack and slots.</p> Players start out as a janitor in a casino but can eventually become the casino owner by gambling their way to the top. <p>“As a casino owner, you can actually design and run your own casino, and other people can visit your casino and play your games,” he explained.</p> <p>Poker is big business when it comes to social gaming. Games like <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/millions-hooked-on-facebook-holdem-44065">Zynga Poker</a> have hundreds of thousands of players.</p> <p>“There is a large emphasis on poker specifically within CasinoRPG, and why we think this game will truly stand out in the crowd for poker players is because your winnings are no longer just a number,” he said.</p> <p>“Most of today's free-to-play poker games just offer the poker, but no surrounding experience.”</p> <p>Not so in CasinoRPG. In fact players will be able to able to build bigger and better casinos as well as lake-side mansions and sports cars.</p> <h3>CasinoRPG Part of HTML5 Revolution</h3> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/screen4.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-screen4.jpg" alt="CasinoRPG Room" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">CasinoRPG's entire world will run in-browser</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Another major selling point of CasinoRPG is that it utilizes cutting-edge HTML5 technology, which means it will be playable in Internet browsers without any extra add-ons.</p> <p>It’s a relatively new technology that’s still catching on in the gaming world.</p> <p>“We've worked with platforms like Flash, Unity and native apps in the past, but they all have very specific drawbacks,” he said.</p> <p>“HTML5 is finally maturing in a way that lets us address those drawbacks directly and present and truly cross-device experience that just can't exist on those other platforms.”</p> <p>That means the game can be updated without players having to re-download the software. It also means CasinoRPG is fully accessible on both PCs and Macs.</p> <p>“I believe people will be blown away by what they see running in a browser with no plugins or downloads,” he said.</p> <h3>How Video Games Could Change Real-Money Poker</h3> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/pokerstars-final-table.jpg"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-pokerstars-final-table.jpg" alt="pokerstars final table" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Could a poker client like PokerStars be improved?</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>As someone that been designing games for a good portion of his life, Simpson has a unique perspective on the software behind major online poker sites such as <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-stars">PokerStars</a> or <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/party-poker">Party Poker</a>.</p> <p>“I have played on PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Party Poker in the past,” he said.</p> <p>“They all have solid pieces of software, but the common thread I've seen lacking has to do with communication. I almost never saw things like chat utilized by players at these sites.”</p> <p>Simpson went on to say they’ve placed a heavy emphasis on community in CasinoRPG and one of the goals was to have players make friends at the table. There’s a great deal of communication and personalization at the tables.</p> <p>“These are aspects that could still work well on real-money tables as well,” he said. </p> <p>CasinoRPG has two more weeks on Kickstarter to make its goal of $20,000 in pledges. Poker fans can check out the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jsimpson/casinorpg">Kickstarter page here</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://plus.google.com/103096706558939681989" rel="me" target="_blank">Follow the author on Google+</a></p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:12:56 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/video-game-designer-puts-new-twist-on-poker-with-html5-casinorpg http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/video-game-designer-puts-new-twist-on-poker-with-html5-casinorpg http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/video-game-designer-puts-new-twist-on-poker-with-html5-casinorpg#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 04:50:09 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/bieber-twitter-king http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/bieber-twitter-king http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/bieber-twitter-king#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:13:46 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/arnold-back-at-poker-table http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/arnold-back-at-poker-table http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/arnold-back-at-poker-table#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Mon, 21 Jan 2013 04:52:12 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/obama-playing-down-debt http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/obama-playing-down-debt http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/obama-playing-down-debt#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Chips3.JPG" alt="Chips3"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG1876.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Chips2.JPG" alt="Chips2"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG6043.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Chips.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG7866.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG1825.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG9190.JPG" alt="Chips" width="300" height="450"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG9179.JPG" alt="Chips" width="300" height="450"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG9120.JPG" alt="chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG8360.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG8330.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG8343.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG9249.JPG" alt="Chips" width="300" height="450"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG8301.JPG" alt="Chips" width="300" height="450"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG8342.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG8322.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/the-chips-27674.jpg" alt="The Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG8313.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/chips-33279.jpg" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG8307.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG8306.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG1080.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG1187.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG769.JPG" alt="Table and chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG0882.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG759.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG0744.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG0466.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG6275.JPG" alt="Chips"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/ept-chips-25284.jpg" alt="EPT Chips" width="600" height="400"/><img src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/IMG6038.JPG" alt="Chip stacks" width="600" height="400"/><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:06:44 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-chip-porn-sfw-photo-blog http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-chip-porn-sfw-photo-blog http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-chip-porn-sfw-photo-blog#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 18 Jan 2013 06:12:50 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/piers-morgan-pays-price-for-losing http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/piers-morgan-pays-price-for-losing http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/piers-morgan-pays-price-for-losing#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>I barely played any hours at all in the summer, pretty much taking two to three months off. I’d go to my computer, see the games were bad as usual, wait a few hours to see if they got better, then take the rest of the day off.</p> <p>Some days I played 18-man SnGs, but I didn’t really enjoy playing those. I even played some PLO cash, but that didn’t last long.</p> <p><a target="_blank" href="http://admin.www.pokerlistings.com/explaining-heads-up-hyper-turbo-sngs-by-stakes">I started playing HU hypers at the end of August</a>, and I really think it revitalized my poker career. I had dreaded playing poker every day in the spring and the summer; it was a lot of waiting around, it was boring, and my expectation wasn’t that good.</p> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Courtney-Gee-1.JPG"><img class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-Courtney-Gee-1.JPG" alt="Courtney Gee 1" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Courtney plans to play roughly 40 weeks of poker in 2013.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>But now that I’m playing HU, I feel motivated to play almost every day. I also feel more motivated to get in hours.</p> <p>My lack of income last year caused my savings and bankroll to suffer slightly, unfortunately. In 2012 I ended up spending around $20k more than I made playing poker.</p> <p>I had a lot of things to pay for, so it certainly wasn’t a good year to take so much time off. The one positive is that I made the same amount of money last year as I did in 2011 except I played fewer hours, so at least my hourly went up.</p> <h3>New Resolutions for a New Year</h3> <p>Most people are optimistic when starting a new year, and I am no exception. I made only a small profit playing HU hypers last year, but I improved quite a bit as a player. As long as I keep working on my game and putting in hours, I think this year will be a lot better.</p> <p>Once again, my main goal for 2013 is to put in a suitable number of hours (which I clearly failed at doing in 2012). I’ll be aiming for 30 hours of playing a week and then a few extra hours per week for review.</p> <p>Realistically, I’ll probably end up taking around three full months off poker, so I’m planning to play around 40 weeks.</p> <p>Other than my goal for hours, my only other goal for this year is to move up to $500 hypers at some point. I’m not sure how long this will take me, but I suspect it might be a while. The reg battles can get pretty fierce at the $500 buy-in level, so I will need to increase my bankroll quite a bit if I want to move up and stay up. I definitely don’t expect to accomplish this during the first half of the year.</p> <p>So that summarizes my 2012 and outlines my two goals for 2013. What are your poker goals for the New Year? Leave a comment and let me know.</p> <p>I’ll be back in a couple weeks with an update on how hypers are going for the start of 2013. If you are interested in reading post session updates, please follow <a target="_blank" href="http://donkeybrains.wordpress.com">my other blog</a> as I try to update every day I play. Until next time, good luck at the tables!</p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 10:40:35 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/courtney-gee-more-volume-and-higher-stakes-in-2013 http://www.pokerlistings.com/courtney-gee-more-volume-and-higher-stakes-in-2013 http://www.pokerlistings.com/courtney-gee-more-volume-and-higher-stakes-in-2013#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 04:30:22 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/zuckerberg-knows-your-hand http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/zuckerberg-knows-your-hand http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/zuckerberg-knows-your-hand#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 16 Jan 2013 06:32:33 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/oprah-armstrong-come-clean http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/oprah-armstrong-come-clean http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/oprah-armstrong-come-clean#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 15 Jan 2013 06:55:02 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/jodie-foster-is-out http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/jodie-foster-is-out http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/jodie-foster-is-out#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Mon, 14 Jan 2013 06:09:10 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/phelps-vs-alexander-poker http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/phelps-vs-alexander-poker http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/phelps-vs-alexander-poker#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:23:07 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/10-essential-texas-hold-em-moves-infographic http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/10-essential-texas-hold-em-moves-infographic http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/10-essential-texas-hold-em-moves-infographic#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 10 Jan 2013 05:09:51 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/french-millionaires-poker-tournament http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/french-millionaires-poker-tournament http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/french-millionaires-poker-tournament#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 09 Jan 2013 06:54:55 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/al-roker-plays-poker-with-obama http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/al-roker-plays-poker-with-obama http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/al-roker-plays-poker-with-obama#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>PokerListings.com: Little bit of background first. How old are you? Where are you from originally?</p> <p>David Goldklang: I'm 33 and I grew up in Mill Valley, California - just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.</p> <p>What inspired you to design custom playing cards?</p> <p>I've been around playing cards my entire life. My dad first taught me how to play 5-card draw poker when I was a kid and I've been hooked since. Also, my brother is a professional magician so there have always been countless cards strewn about the house. As a graphic designer looking for personal projects to challenge and inspire me, it was inevitable that I would eventually design a deck of cards.</p> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/david-goldklang.jpg"><img class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-david-goldklang.jpg" alt="david goldklang" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">David Goldklang</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Was it a complicated process actually going about it? How long does it take?</p> <p>Playing card design is actually quite a bit more complicated than it may seem at first glance. The decks I've designed are completely custom, including my own version of the suit symbols themselves.</p> <p>I've also created unique pip layouts that I think are more visually appealing than the standard layout.</p> <p>The entire process of designing a deck from scratch takes me several months. I start by sketching out ideas on paper until I have a clear concept for the deck. Then I design each individual card face on the computer as well as the back and box designs.</p> <p>The tweaking process is very involved and I constantly go back to each card and make small adjustments until I'm completely satisfied. There's also considerable time spent communicating back and forth with the printer to adjust the design and colors based on printed proofs.</p> <p>In your opinion what makes a good deck of playing cards?</p> <p>I think usability is the most important aspect to a deck.</p> <p>One of my primary goals when designing Polaris was to create a card deck that is not only usable but actually enhances gameplay. I've incorporated features such as 4-color suits and 4-corner pips to improve the experience.</p> <p>What kind of response have you gotten from people who purchased decks from the Vända set?</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Screen-shot-2013-01-08-at-3.02.01-PM.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-Screen-shot-2013-01-08-at-3.02.01-PM.jpg" alt="Screen shot 2013 01 08 at 3.02.01 PM" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">A look at both the solar and lunar Polaris decks</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>I've heard from many of the backers of the Vända project and everyone was very enthusiastic about the unique design and had been waiting eagerly for the launch of Polaris.</p> <p>The first decks have just finished printing and everyone is excited to be receiving them later this month.</p> <p>How would the Polaris cards compare to high-end cards like COPAG or Kem Cards?</p> <p>The Polaris decks are being printed by the US playing Card Company on the same card stock and with the same process they use to make Bicycle decks that most people are very familiar with. They will be the same top quality as the best cards available on the market.</p> <p>Why would these cards make a good addition to a poker home game?</p> <p>The Polaris decks offer an element of intrigue - the design is completely unique and eye-catching and will definitely be a topic of discussion at any home game. Also, the 4-color feature helps people from having to stand up and squint to see across the table to figure out if that's the jack of spades or clubs.</p> <p>I've shown the design around at several large poker rooms and everyone loved the look of the cards and wanted to know how they could get a few decks.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/vanda.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-vanda.jpg" alt="vanda" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Goldklang's Vända set of cards</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Do you play any poker?</p> <p>I've played poker for as long as I can remember including playing online since the golden days before everyone learned the game. A few years ago I was grinding online tournaments for 14+ hours a day and spent 4 weeks in Las Vegas at the WSOP, playing in 7 events with 2 cashes.</p> <p>What deck is better: Lunar or solar?</p> <p>We actually asked that very question recently on the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/VandaPlayingCards">Vända Facebook page</a> and got a mixed response. It seems that each deck is appealing in a different way and it really comes down to personal preference. I suppose you'll have to get one of each to compare and decide for yourself.</p> <p>Anything else?</p> <p>I've also designed some really cool poker chips that match the look of the Polaris decks. There are 5 colors and they each have a unique design. They are ceramic casino-style chips that look and feel great (I should know since I've handled many poker chips for extended periods of time) and would be a vast improvement over most of the chips currently available for home use.</p> <p>Polaris links:</p> <p>Polaris Kickstarter project: <a href="http://kck.st/YRR018">kck.st/YRR018</a></p> <p>Vända website: <a href="http://www.vandacards.com/">vandacards.com</a></p> <p>Vända Facebook page: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/VandaPlayingCards">facebook.com/VandaPlayingCards</a></p> <p>Polaris promo video: <a href="http://vimeo.com/55912918">http://vimeo.com/55912918</a></p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:40:06 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/new-polaris-deck-reinvents-playing-card-through-design-usability http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/new-polaris-deck-reinvents-playing-card-through-design-usability http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/new-polaris-deck-reinvents-playing-card-through-design-usability#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 07:19:03 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/justin-bieber-high-hand http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/justin-bieber-high-hand http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/justin-bieber-high-hand#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Mon, 07 Jan 2013 04:54:34 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/nhl-lockout-over http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/nhl-lockout-over http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/nhl-lockout-over#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 04 Jan 2013 05:38:56 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/swedish-gambling-problem http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/swedish-gambling-problem http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/swedish-gambling-problem#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 03 Jan 2013 05:32:07 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/fiscal-cliff-poker http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/fiscal-cliff-poker http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/fiscal-cliff-poker#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 06:55:01 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/biggest-losers-2012 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/biggest-losers-2012 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/biggest-losers-2012#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Mon, 31 Dec 2012 05:57:48 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/happy-new-year-2013 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/happy-new-year-2013 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/happy-new-year-2013#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 28 Dec 2012 04:58:08 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/sorry-frosty http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/sorry-frosty http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/sorry-frosty#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 27 Dec 2012 05:29:21 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/snowmen-poker http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/snowmen-poker http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/snowmen-poker#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 26 Dec 2012 07:02:27 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/merry-christmas-2-2012 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/merry-christmas-2-2012 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/merry-christmas-2-2012#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Mon, 24 Dec 2012 06:04:02 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/merry-christmas-2012 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/merry-christmas-2012 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/merry-christmas-2012#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Sat, 22 Dec 2012 11:05:07 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/easygame-episode-5-dan-jungleman12-cates http://www.pokerlistings.com/easygame-episode-5-dan-jungleman12-cates http://www.pokerlistings.com/easygame-episode-5-dan-jungleman12-cates#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 21 Dec 2012 06:48:44 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/uk-monitoring-its-unemployed http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/uk-monitoring-its-unemployed http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/uk-monitoring-its-unemployed#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 20 Dec 2012 04:15:15 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/secretary-of-feints http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/secretary-of-feints http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/secretary-of-feints#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 19 Dec 2012 05:16:46 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/mayan-apocalypse http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/mayan-apocalypse http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/mayan-apocalypse#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 18 Dec 2012 04:50:50 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/playboy-to-offer-online-gamlbing http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/playboy-to-offer-online-gamlbing http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/playboy-to-offer-online-gamlbing#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 02:16:47 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/california-trying-regulate-online-gaming http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/california-trying-regulate-online-gaming http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/california-trying-regulate-online-gaming#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 14 Dec 2012 04:18:25 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/lohans-probation-revoked http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/lohans-probation-revoked http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/lohans-probation-revoked#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>Thanks to my lack of sleep <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/jared-tendler-always-playing-your-a-game-is-impossible">(and how bad I am at dealing with it)</a>, Day 2 was a haze for me. I remember thinking that my table was quite aggressive. I also had a couple players from my Day 1 table to my left, which was unfortunate because they knew how I played and had position.</p> <p>Halfway through level 1, I got dealt QQ and got my 30bb stack all-in preflop with KK. Luckily for me I hit a Q on the turn and doubled up to 120k. Someone said they even folded a Q, so it was a one outer!</p> <h4>No Sleep = Questionable Play</h4> <p>Unfortunately, my sleepy self decided to punt this amazing poker gift shortly after.</p> <p>I was sitting to the left of two active players, and I decided to make a terrible squeeze in the sb with A7 after one of them raised in mp and the other called on the button.</p> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Courtney-Gee-1.JPG"><img class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-Courtney-Gee-1.JPG" alt="Courtney Gee 1" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Playing in the LAPT Grand Final.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Unsurprisingly, I ended up having to play a pot out of position with a terrible hand after the button called.</p> <p>The flop came KQxr and the button called my continuation bet. The turn brought a T and also a club draw, and I checked intending to just fold to a jam since he had less than a pot sized bet behind.</p> <p>My opponent suckered me in with an 8k bet into an almost 60k pot, though. I definitely should have folded, but I didn’t.</p> <p>When the river came the J<span class="entity clubs">&clubs;</span>, I shoved all-in out of position, and my opponent snap called me with A<span class="entity clubs">&clubs;</span> T<span class="entity clubs">&clubs;</span>. Talk about putting my chips in dead on every street …</p> <p>After that hand I was pretty much back to where I started with around 60k or 30bb. On my last hand I was dealt QQ again and called preflop against a very aggressive player. I fist-pump-called three streets all-in post flop with my over pair and lost to KK.</p> <p>It was pretty surreal when I busted because I wasn’t really clear-minded at all. I went back to my room and went to bed, and the only reason I remember anything that happened that day was because I wrote notes about each hand right after I played them.</p> <p>I felt really horrible once I woke up from my nap and realized I was busto, though. Busting from a tournament because you played badly is probably the worst thing ever – MUCH worse than <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/strategy/on-whining-about-bad-beats">busting from a bad beat.</a></p> <p>If I hadn’t played the A7 hand so poorly, I still would have had chips after the QQ vs KK cooler hand and who knows what might have happened. I felt pretty glum about it for the rest of the day.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Courtney-Gee-3.JPG"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-Courtney-Gee-3.JPG" alt="Courtney Gee 3" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Plenty of time to hike after busting the tournament.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <h4>Free Time in Peru Isn't So Bad</h4> <p>Luckily I was still on vacation and had mucho access to endless papaya juice and smoothies, so I got over the tournament fairly quickly. I spent the rest of my time in Peru eating amazing food, bartering for alpaca scarves, and hiking to Machu Picchu.</p> <p>I had a wonderful time in Peru and I would definitely go back. The people are extremely friendly, the food is amazing, and the weather is great.</p> <p>If you ever go to Cusco, I highly recommend the restaurant Greens Organic. Be sure to get the mango (with pineapple, passion fruit, and lemongrass) smoothie because it’s definitely one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.</p> <p>Where poker is concerned, I thought PokerStars did a great job running the event. I would definitely go to another LAPT, although this time I would probably try to learn a small amount of Spanish first :)</p> <p>Now I’m sadly back at home, where it’s cold and I’m trying to win at online poker. Poker has gone quite poorly since I got back; <a target="_blank" href="http://donkeybrains.wordpress.com">take a peek at my other blog</a> if you want further details. The next time I write here, I’ll give a summary of how $200 and $300 hyper HU has been going since November.</p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:20:40 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/courtney-gee-lapt-peru-trip-report-part-2 http://www.pokerlistings.com/courtney-gee-lapt-peru-trip-report-part-2 http://www.pokerlistings.com/courtney-gee-lapt-peru-trip-report-part-2#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 13 Dec 2012 03:46:19 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/north-south-corea http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/north-south-corea http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/north-south-corea#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 12 Dec 2012 04:22:19 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/denise-richards-babysitting-twins http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/denise-richards-babysitting-twins http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/denise-richards-babysitting-twins#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>My friends and I got into Lima the day before Day 1 of the Main Event and stayed at Hotel Estelar (which was across the street from where the tournament was being held). I ended up sleeping pretty badly that night because our room was facing a street that was very loud with traffic both late at night and early in the morning.</p> <div class="image-container image-portrait-size-medium image-position"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Courtney-Gee-1.JPG"><img class="image-position image-portrait-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage180320-Courtney-Gee-1.JPG" alt="Courtney Gee 1" width="180" height="320"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Courtney Gee at the LAPT Grand Final.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Despite sleeping badly, I felt fine the morning of Day 1. After some breakfast, we went across the street to Atlantic City Casino and went upstairs to find our tables.</p> <h4>Dealing with the Language Barrier</h4> <p>I discovered right away that only a small number of dealers spoke English and that everything at the table was in Spanish. I know this shouldn’t have been a surprise to me, but I assumed that the dealers would at least be able to speak English if necessary. This was not the case.</p> <p>The only time the language was a big problem for me was when someone threw out a single large chip and I didn’t know what the amount of the bet or raise was because I didn’t understand what the dealer said.</p> <p>As time went on at my table, I figured out which players spoke English and they were able to help me when necessary.  </p> <p>As far as actual poker went, my stack stayed the same for almost the entire day. The structure of the tournament was quite good, so the 20k starting stack didn’t start to become shallow until multiple hours into the event. I went up to 30k and back down to 20k multiple times. At one point I think I got as low as 11k chips at 300/600 ante 100.</p> <p>My table wasn’t extremely tough, but the worst players got busted during the first half of the day. I could tell by raise and bet sizing that most of the people at my table were at least competent, and I remember thinking that I would love a table change.</p> <p>I also knew that my table was never breaking, though, and that I was almost certainly going to be stuck there until the end of the day.</p> <h4>First Double of the Day</h4> <p>I finally doubled my starting stack around 7 hours into the tournament. I raised K9 in middle position, got called by two players and was treated to a flop of KKT rainbow.</p> <p>I made a small bet on the flop, and then check/called both the turn and river until I was all-in. I’m fairly sure my opponent mucked a T.</p> <p>My stack was 41k at the last break which wasn’t overly impressive but still above average in chips. At this point my night of bad sleep was beginning to catch up with me, and I was starting to feel pretty tired. I remember level 9 going by extremely slowly.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Courtney-Gee-2.JPG"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-Courtney-Gee-2.JPG" alt="Courtney Gee 2" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">More hiking in Peru.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <p>I still managed to increase my stack, though. I got up to 52k chips by raise/calling preflop with KJ, calling a QJx flop, checking behind a flush draw turn, and making a small value bet on the river.</p> <p>Then during the last level of play, I raised as many hands as possible because the pots were huge thanks to 200 antes at 600/1200 blinds. Add in the fact that many people were mentally checking out since it was so close to the end of the Day 1, and it was wildly profitable to raise a wide range at my table.</p> <h4>Reviewing for Mistakes</h4> <p>I played one hand particularly poorly during the last level on Day 1. One of the stronger players at my table min-raised in late position with around 28k in his stack, and I flatted in the big blind with T9.</p> <p>The flop came K77. I checked, and my opponent checked behind. The turn was a K, I checked again, and my opponent also checked again. The river was some small card and I made a bet that was slightly over pot sized. My opponent tanked for several minutes and finally made the correct call with QJ.</p> <p>The way I played the hand was unfortunate because my opponent’s stack would have allowed me to bet the turn and then <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/10-more-essential-hold-em-moves-the-over-bet">overbet</a> bluff shove the river. He would have had to fold almost everything if I’d played it like that, and I instantly knew I made a mistake when I checked the turn.</p> <p>Nevertheless, I finished the day with 64k, which was just above an average stack. Overall I was pretty happy with the way I played for most of the day, and I was glad to have an average stack considering I sat on starting stack for 7 levels. 122 of us made Day 2, and 56 players were scheduled to make the money.</p> <p><a target="_blank" href="http://admin.www.pokerlistings.com/blog/courtney-gee-poker-blog">Stay tuned for my Day 2 trip report!</a></p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:26:33 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/courtney-gee-lapt-peru-trip-report-part-1 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/courtney-gee-lapt-peru-trip-report-part-1 http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/courtney-gee-lapt-peru-trip-report-part-1#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Mon, 10 Dec 2012 04:47:01 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/us-wins-over-apple http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/us-wins-over-apple http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/us-wins-over-apple#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:22:27 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/celebrities-poker-for-charity http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/celebrities-poker-for-charity http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/celebrities-poker-for-charity#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 06 Dec 2012 03:58:01 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/hugh-hefner-engaged-again http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/hugh-hefner-engaged-again http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/hugh-hefner-engaged-again#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p>A note about this guide: These modifications were made in OSX but the general concept is the same in Windows. There is one change you’ll have to make in both clients to avoid the PokerStars software from updating every time you open it and overwriting your customizations. Check the <a href="#anchor 3">end of the guide</a> for a how-to.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Screen-shot-2012-12-05-at-3.02.30-PM.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-Screen-shot-2012-12-05-at-3.02.30-PM.jpg" alt="PokerStars Background" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">PokerStars table view options.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <h3>Changing your Background</h3> <p>This one is dead simple because PokerStars actually offers a way to do it right in the software. Simply go:</p> <p>1. In the PokerStars client go to View</p> <p>2. Navigate to Table Themes</p> <p>3. Click the icon under the Background field</p> <p>4. Select the PokerStars icon with the gear on it</p> <p>5. Browse to find the file on your computer (generally a JPEG)</p> <p>6. Choose between the various stretch options, pick whichever looks best.</p> <p>7. Click OK</p> <p>8. Click Apply</p> <p>9. Click OK</p> <p>Couple notes:</p> At the very least you’re going to want 800X480 resolution but PokerStars supports bigger picture files as well.  Don’t pick an image that’s too busy. It’s obviously subjective but the best backgrounds still let you focus on the action. Go with clean and simple. Don’t have a favorite Wallpaper site? <a href="http://www.wallbase.cc">www.wallbase.cc</a> is a good place to start. <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/Screen-shot-2012-12-05-at-3.08.10-PM.jpg"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-Screen-shot-2012-12-05-at-3.08.10-PM.jpg" alt="Screen shot 2012 12 05 at 3.08.10 PM" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Changing your avatar.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <h3>Adding a Custom Avatar</h3> <p>Using a custom avatar, like using a customer avatar, is very easy thanks to support from PokerStars in the client.</p> <p>1. Log into your PokerStars account</p> <p>2. Go to account</p> <p>3. Select/Change Image</p> <p>4. Change image</p> <p>5. Choose image</p> <p>6. Select any image from your computer</p> <p>7. Any size image will work but you’ll have to crop 1X1</p> <p>8. Click set</p> <p>9. Click Save</p> <p>Note: You’ll have to wait for the image to pass through PokerStars’ verification, which can take up to five days.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/AllChipSets2.jpg"><img class="image-position image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-AllChipSets2.jpg" alt="AllChipSets2" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Seitz333 chips</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <h3>Adding a Custom Chip Set</h3> <p>This is where things get a bit more difficult.</p> <p>You only have access to the default chip set through PokerStars software but you can replace those image files to give your chips a unique look (If you want to revert back to the default look, just update your software).</p> <p>You can buy sets on sites like TiltBuster.com but you can also find free ones on TwoPlusTwo Poker Forum. It's also worth trying Google.</p> <p>There are some amazing sets out there that look like the real-life Aria or WSOP chips.</p> <p>Here’s how you install them:</p> <p>1. Download your chip set (it should be a collection of seven folders titled 0-6 with various BMP files)</p> <p>2. Make sure your PokerStars client is closed. Navigate to the PokerStars folder in Windows. In OSX go to Applications and then command-click PokerStars. Select show content package.</p> <p>3. Go to resources</p> <p>4. Go into the GX folder</p> <p>5. Go into the chips&amp;deck folder</p> <p>6. Open the chips folder</p> <p>7. Copy/paste all seven folders from your downloaded custom chip set</p> <p>8. They are duplicate folders and you will be asked if you want to replace them. Click OK for all of them.</p> <p>9. Start PokerStars</p> <p>10. You should see your new chips at the table.</p> <div class="image-container image-landscape-size-medium image-position-alt"><a class="lightbox" href="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/allcards.jpg"><img class="image-position-alt image-landscape-size-medium" src="http://edge1.pokerlistings.com/assets/photos/_resampled/CroppedImage320180-allcards.jpg" alt="allcards" width="320" height="180"/></a> <div class="image-osd image-osd-compact"> <div class="image-osd-content">Sample custom PokerStars card fronts.</div> <div class="image-osd-background"> </div> </div> </div> <h3>Adding Custom Cards</h3> <p>You can change both card fronts and card backs in the PokerStars client.</p> <p>You can select hundreds of colors for backs in PokerStars but you only have access to four different decks. You can have black fronts with fluorescent colored pips or giant numbers.</p> <p>The combinations are almost endless. Once you download a new set of cards they should have individual directions to install but it should be similar to this process.</p> <p>1. Locate your downloaded custom cards</p> <p>2. Go into the deck folder</p> <p>3. You should find a folder called “simple”</p> <p>4. Now go into the PokerStars folder (like in the custom chips tutorial).</p> <p>5. Go into resources</p> <p>6. Go into the GX Folder</p> <p>7. Open the deck folder</p> <p>8. Delete the “simple” folder</p> <p>9. Replace with the "simple" folder from your downloaded custom card set</p> <p>10. Start PokerStars</p> <p>11. Go to view</p> <p>12. Go to table themes</p> <p>13. Select front deck</p> <p>14. In this example select the third deck (which is the simple deck)</p> <p>15. Hit apply then OK</p> <p>16. You should have access to your new cards</p> <h3>How to Keep PokerStars from Overwriting Your Mods</h3> <p>In Windows it’s simple, as you just have to access the PokerStars.exe, which will bypass the update launch.</p> <p>It’s a bit more complicated using OSX as you actually have to change some code. Go to finder&gt;go&gt;go to folder&gt; search ~/Library&gt;preferences&gt; click com.pokerstars.user.ini. At the very top of the text document copy/paste the follow text:</p> <p>[debug]</p> <p>RunUpdateCheck=0</p> <p>When you want to turn updates back on, just change the 0 in RunUpdateCheck to 1.</p> <p><a href="https://plus.google.com/103096706558939681989" rel="me" target="_blank">Follow the author on Google+</a></p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:47:04 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/simple-guide-to-modding-pokerstars-for-free http://www.pokerlistings.com/simple-guide-to-modding-pokerstars-for-free http://www.pokerlistings.com/simple-guide-to-modding-pokerstars-for-free#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 05 Dec 2012 05:11:45 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/us-fiscal-cliff http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/us-fiscal-cliff http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/us-fiscal-cliff#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Tue, 04 Dec 2012 04:51:05 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/kates-pot-is-growing http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/kates-pot-is-growing http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/kates-pot-is-growing#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Mon, 03 Dec 2012 07:01:50 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/baseballs-alleged-cheaters http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/baseballs-alleged-cheaters http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/baseballs-alleged-cheaters#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:54:07 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/lohan-arrested-again http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/lohan-arrested-again http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/lohan-arrested-again#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Thu, 29 Nov 2012 02:02:28 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/slim-spanish-soccer-club http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/slim-spanish-soccer-club http://www.pokerlistings.com/poker-joker/slim-spanish-soccer-club#comments Poker Blogs - Live blogging from poker tournaments plus pro blogs on lifestyle, poker strategy and the poker industry <p><a href="https://plus.google.com/104078440048835204924" rel="me" target="_blank">Follow the author on Google+</a></p> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/mattshowell">Follow the author on Twitter</a></p><br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/" title="http://www.pokerlistings.com/">www.pokerlistings.com</a> Wed, 28 Nov 2012 05:32:28 -0800 http://www.pokerlistings.com/easygame-episode-4-griffin-flush-entity-benger-video-mini-doc http://www.pokerlistings.com/easygame-episode-4-griffin-flush-entity-benger-video-mini-doc http://www.pokerlistings.com/easygame-episode-4-griffin-flush-entity-benger-video-mini-doc#comments Poker Blogs - 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