PokerListings.com - Blog

Sexiest Women in Poker Twitter List

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:59:33 +0100

#fullimg: pic_34896.jpg#

Twitter lists are a great way to keep track of a select group of people. We've taken that concept and applied it to the sexiest women in the poker world.

By following us on Twitter and following this list you'll hear what the prettiest brains in the game are thinking and doing, all in one place.

Links to behind the scenes photos, gossip and more, there's plenty to read about on this list beyond poker updates.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erica Schoenberg

http://twitter.com/TheHitWoman

Erica Schoenberg's just great. She's got a sense of humor and good taste in TV shows.

She's pretty active on Twitter and updates on tons of stuff she's doing. You know, typical stuff like flying around the world, raising money for charity etc etc.

Plus, her Twitter profile pic was taken by PokerListings.com.

Liv Boeree

http://twitter.com/liv_boeree

Liv Boeree's pretty much the best thing to ever come out of the UK poker scene.

She's got an endorsement deal, she shreds on guitar and she seems to genuinely appreciate the opportunity to travel the circuit and be part of the poker world.

She's friends with rock stars and poker pros and definitely knows how to have a good time. Look at her tweets to see more.

Evelyn Ng

http://twitter.com/Evybabee

Even though her Guitar Hero playing is eclipsing her status as a poker pro, Evelyn Ng's an easy choice for this list.

She tweets all the time and is extremely responsive with replies and convos. She talks about a wide range of stuff from Guitar Hero to poker to Guitar Hero.

Beth Shak

http://twitter.com/BethShak

Beth Shak really raised the stakes with her recent lingerie photo shoot in News of the World, and she continues to spread the good word via her Twitter account.

She tweets a lot and, judging by what she talks about, she does a lot of cool shit.

Buying stuff, traveling the world, playing poker, it's all in there.

Liz Lieu

http://twitter.com/lizlieu

Liz Lieu is probably the most active tweeter on this list. She's constantly on the move and documents most of it on Twitter.

You'll find links to unseen photos, motivational messages and much more.

Lacey Jones

http://twitter.com/LaceyJones

Lacey Jones spends part of her time in front of the camera and the rest at the poker felt, while finding time to do a bit of modeling in between.

Lingerie photo shoots may only be a small part of what you'll see on her Twitter account but it's probably the most important part.

Kara Scott

http://twitter.com/karaOTR

The UK tries to claim Kara Scott but we all know she originally came from Canada. Scott was the television host for the EPT and now works as the face of High Stakes Poker.

In between she's found time to develop a very impressive live tournament résumé. A second-place finish at the 2009 Irish Open for $413k is her biggest result to date.

She's not too hard on the eyes either.

Vanessa Rousso

http://twitter.com/vanessaRousso

Team PokerStars Pro's Vanessa Rousso uses Twitter primarily for tournament updates with the usual where-are-you what-are-you-doing stuff thrown in for good measure.

She does a lot of traveling and gets to do some pretty cool stuff, most of which she covers in her tweets.

Tiffany Michelle

http://twitter.com/TiffnyMichelle

Known for a deep run in the Main Event, and a not-so-deep run on The Amazing Race, Tiffany Michelle is putting in work to market herself to the world.

Obviously in this day and age that includes Twitter.

Michelle does a ton of different stuff in the poker/entertainment world and takes her followers along for the ride via her Twitter updates.

Leo Margets

http://twitter.com/LeoMargets

Leo Margets was the last woman standing at the 2009 WSOP Main Event and since getting picked up by 888.com she's been at a few majors.

Margets seems new to Twitter, her account only has a few tweets so far. We're hoping that changes as Margets part in the poker world gets a bit bigger.

Visit PokerListings.com

Ben Grundy's $7.8 Million Lifetime PLO Graph

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:15:58 +0100

#fullimg: pic_34895.jpg#

Graphs like this get us excited, straight from $0 to $7.8 million over 320,000 hands. Ben Grundy must play good because it seems impossible to have such a steady upward trend in PLO.

He did his year-end review, as well as a new lifetime graph, in the latest post on his poker blog.

His winrate is pretty sick, almost $5,400/day. Grundy's known for tilting off huge sums of money and it's hard to say how this graph compares to his overall profit.

People say he's lost a fair bit in NL plus live tournament buy-ins and expenses over the last few years.

One thing is for sure, though, Grundy is among the best online PLO players in the world. He also blogs pretty regularly so keep an eye on it at http://milkybarkids.blogspot.com/

-- Matthew Showell

Visit PokerListings.com

Throwing Up Bricks

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:30:11 +0100

Well the BCPC has come and gone and I bricked all three events.

Can't really complain too much, I feel I played some of my best poker. I really made only one real mistake in all three tournaments.

If there was one theme throughout the tournaments it was that I run bad with table draws.

I already wrote how I had bracelet winner Robert Cheung and several other competent players at my table in the $550.

In the $1100 I had none other than WPT winner Mike "Sirwatts" Watson directly on my left as well as three traveling CPT pros and as it turns out a guy I've played several thousand hands with online.

Amazingly I did well enough chipping up mostly without showdown. I also ended up flatting AA to a single raise in late position two different times with the hopes a short stack would squeeze over top. Sure enough they did and I held both times.

Near the end of day one I made my only real mistake of the tournament. I had a good player raise in the cut-off and I three-bet him with K8s.

A player who just moved to our table in the small blind cold calls and the original raiser folds.

The board comes Q 4 7 and the small blind checks and I end up c-betting thinking that live players have AK here a lot.

Which in retrospect is pretty awful, I'm basically hoping he has one single hand and ignoring his whole range. The right play is obviously checking back and giving up.

Anyways he shoves, I obv fold and he slams KK down face up. UPS.

Still, I ended up going into day two with almost twice the average stack (I think around 50ishbb).

But that wouldn't last. I had the chip leader of the tournament on my left and he elected to flat or three-bet every one of my opens.

I ended up losing a decent size flip and was left with 10 bb two hours into day two. I shove Ats in the cut-off and the button snaps KK and I'm out 78th with 63 paying.

Which leaves all my run good for the $2,700 right? Wrong.

I get to my table and hear the three guys on my right talking in familiar internet jargon.

Uh oh, this is a bad start already.

The guy directly to my right is an online MTT player who's talking with both guys on his right about the upcoming PCA.

Turns out the guy on his right is a $25/$50 reg on iPoker and the guy on his right is none other then #1 pocket fives-ranked NeverScaredB. (who might I add runs like god).

The rest of the table wasn't any easier with only one soft spot. And sure enough when he busted there were no soft spots.

We also got another top 10 player on pocket fives moved to our table throughout the day as well as the guy who came second last year to Daniel Negreanu.

Bitching and moaning aside, I wasted all of my run good in the first level. In one hour I got KK three times as well as AA. Obv every single time I pick up the blinds.

By dinner I had chipped up at this very tough table to 25,000 which was almost double the 15,000 starting stack. Shortly after dinner I play the only real interesting hand of the tournament.

I'm sitting on about $27,000 chips. NeverScaredB covers and has been playing super aggro. Three hands ago the $25/$50 guy three-bet him and he folded and two hands ago I three-bet him and he folded.

This hand it's folded to him in the cut-off and he raises to $800 at $150/$300. I three-bet A Q in the small blind to $2,900 and he calls.

The flop comes Q T 6. I c-bet $4,000 and NSB tanks and shoves.

I tank for a long time and fold. I figure there's no way NSB has air here (I know he's sick but not that sick).

If he's shoving he has at worst a combo draw. Something like A J is the very best-case scenario. And in that scenario I'm only a slight favorite.

There's also the chance I'm absolutely crushed.

We're almost 100bb deep so it's completely possible that suited connectors and both TT and 66 are in his range. If he has a made flush or a set I'm drawing basically dead.

So I figure if I fold I'll still have like 60bb. So I fold my slightly ahead way behind hand and kind of hate my life.

He later tells me he had A 5. So I guess I made a decent fold.

From there I lose a few more standard hands and with five minutes left in Day 1 I shove my 20bb stack with K J over NSB's late-position raise.

The button sheriffs it up with 9 9 and I lose the flip and that's all she wrote. Overall it was pretty disappointing but I guess that's how she goes.

I'll get my time sooner or later and if I got anything from the money I burnt playing these tournaments it's that even on a pretty tough table I don't feel outmatched in skill and I can more than hold my own.

One day I'll get those mythically soft tables I hear so much about and a rush of cards that are considered slightly above average and I'll easily ship the tournament. But until then I'll continue my pathetic live tournament streak.

Visit PokerListings.com

Diagnosed with Fancy Poker Syndrome

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:09:17 +0100

It has now been almost 2 weeks since my last blogpost, I have been struggling I know. After my pathetic exit in Day 4 of WPT Foxwoods, I headed off to Las Vegas to try to get on High Stakes Poker.

I was able to get on and had a lot of fun on the show. I look forward to watching the broadcast of it and seeing what everyone had.

After I was done on High Stakes Poker, I headed home on my birthday, and spent it with my family. I didn't play any poker over the few days I was home and headed off to Portugal with my buddy Allen Bari on the 15th.

It was quite a pain to travel here, as we had to change airports in London, and take a few long flights.

In the Main Event of EPT Vilamoura, I was playing absolutely amazing for all of day 1. I'm not sure if I have ever crushed a table like I did for the first 6 hours of that tournament. I took some hits near the end of day 1 and finished with about average chips.

Entering Day 2, I started off really bad, but went on a heater to run my stack up and found myself sitting on about double average with 100 players left.

With 86 players to go, for some reason, I decided that I was going to make an absolutely unnecessary play and punted 90 big blinds getting in QJo all in pre vs Antony Lellouche's KK.

He actually took about 20 seconds to call with KK, which was pretty frustrating because for 20 seconds I felt like this ridiculous play was going to work.

This is now the third straight 10k main event that I have completely melted down in one hand for a very unnecessary and ENORMOUS pot, after playing almost perfect poker up until the point where I self destruct in one hand.

Bellagio 15k - I shipped the river as a bluff against an unknown player on the 5th hand of Day 2 for a 200 bb pot, after getting through day 1 playing tight and solid at a really tough table.

Foxwoods 10k - Bet called off on the turn with AK high vs Sohill Shamheiden and was drawing dead for a 100 bb pot with 23 players left, in my first WPT cash and closest opportunity to win the triple crown.

EPT Vilamoura 5k euro - 6 bet jammed QJo for a 180 bb pot, against a very good player who, yes is capable of 5 betting light, but is probably doing it at a very low frequency.

So I went to the doctor today, and have been diagnosed with Fancy Poker Syndrome. To get rid of this disease, I have to stop punting huge stacks for the next 5 main events and also am not allowed to punt any big stacks in my next 10 side events/prelims.

Hopefully I can do this, otherwise I could be in a world of hurting.

GL me.

PS. Right now, I am on dinner break in the 2k euro side event in Vilamoura. I have a good stack with 50 players left from the 86 that started. 58k euros to first, hoping to get started off good in my quest to get rid of FPS.

-- Jason Mercier

Visit PokerListings.com

Watch Poker2Nite Ep. 1 Right Here

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:59:03 +0100

The first episode of UB-sponsored, Huff and Seebz-hosted Poker2Nite went up a few nights ago and we have it embedded right here for you to watch.

Our first impressions of this show are good. Things will take some time to really come together but the foundation is there.

The show looks great, Scott Huff comes off natural and once everything else settles in Poker2Nite will become a regular stop for poker fans.

We've got the first episode below so let us know what you think in the comment section below.

Make sure you're on the post page to watch parts two and three.

Visit PokerListings.com

Full Tilt Color Coding

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:11:55 +0100

#fullimg: color-coding_34836.jpg# James over at CodingtheWheel.com has written two really fantastic posts on how to use color coding on Full Tilt to revolutionize your table selection.

As James says in the first blog, "What's arguably the single biggest deficiency of the losing poker player at any limit? Poor table/game selection."

This solution helps you identify at a glance the quality of players on Full Tilt tables.

The first part of this task involves understanding the system, and the theory on how it can be implemented. For that you're going to want to head to the first post:

The Felt Is Always Greener on the Other Side

Once you've digested that nugget of awesome, you can head to his second blog which provides you with the logic and code for automating color coding from your Poker Tracker player database.

((Full Tilt)) Color Coding In Twenty Minutes or Less

Unfortunately for the average technophobe, Coding the Wheel is a blog designed for computer programmers with an interest in poker. To use the code he wrote you're going to need to understand C# and can compile and run code on your system.

Even if you don't have any idea what I'm talking about, the first blog is still worth a read.

Also, now that PokerStars has added color coding to its software, it won't be long until there's a packaged program available to automate this for you.

Once one's available, I'll be sure to let you know.

Visit PokerListings.com

Phil Galfond's Acting Debut

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:16:22 +0100

Judging by these two videos having only 330, and 100 views at the time of writing this, none of you have ever witnessed the glory of Phil Galfond's acting debut.

According to Galfond, these videos were made to help a friend of his out with her film project.

According to me, they're goddamn hilarious.

The only question I have is this: how is it possible for these to have been kept a secret for over two years?

Without further ado, I give you the first of two short films: Mark and Amy.

The second film, titled Dynamic also stars OMGClayAiken.

Now I'm not saying I could have done any better in his place, but I highly doubt we'll be seeing Galfond make the jump from the tables to the silver screen any time soon.

-Lind

Visit PokerListings.com

Watch Joe Cada on CNN's American Morning

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:45:57 +0100

Joe Cada's been putting in work with the mainstream media appearances. Most recently he showed up on CNN's American Morning.

It's a big step up from what we've seen from WSOP Main Event champions before and whatever you may think of Joe Cada's victory it's good to see him doing so much since.

Letterman, CNBC, WWE Raw and now the most trusted name in news: CNN.

Check out the clip below and let us know what you think of Cada in the comments below.

-- Matthew Showell

Visit PokerListings.com

Watch Joe Cada on Letterman Right Here

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:36:48 +0100

As we reported a few days ago current youngest-ever WSOP Main Event winner Joe Cada was on David Letterman last night.

As far as we're concerned this falls squarely into the "Good for Poker" category. Just talking about the main event and how much money is up for grabs in the mainstream media is a great thing.

Cada managed to pull off his four minutes without using any made up words and on the whole came off as a relatively responsible poker professional.

Check out the clip here while it's still available on Youtube. We'll try to find a version that won't be taken down but unfortunately the rest of world can't watch the official video on CBS.com.

-- Matthew Showell

Visit PokerListings.com

Sebok and Huff's New Show on Fox Tonight

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:55:33 +0100

The main geezers from PokerRoad, Joe Sebok and Scott Huff, have gotten themselves a for-real TV show on Fox Sports and it airs tonight at 11 p.m.

We've been fans of their radio shows since the start, and we've even been on them a few times, so we're happy they're bringing their own special brand of idiocy to the television box.

Sponsored by UB, Poker2Nite is an entertainment/news format show that will cover everything that's going down in the poker world.

Poker news shows are notoriously difficult to make interesting, even to poker nerds, so we're interested to see what the PokerRoad guys have up their sleeves.

Tune in to Fox Sports tonight and tell us what you think in the comments below.

-- Matthew Showell

Visit PokerListings.com

Celebrity Poker Player Twitter List

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:26:40 +0100

#fullimg: fullimg_34806.jpg#

It's common knowledge that Hollywood celebrities play poker. What isn't so commonly known is that many of them have Twitter accounts where they tweet about it all.

We've put together a handy list of the biggest and best actors, musicians and Hollywood personalities that play poker and have Twitter accounts.

This list, and others, can be found by following PokerListings.com on Twitter.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

((Shannon Elizabeth))

http://twitter.com/SHANNONELIZAB

((Shannon Elizabeth)) has been a favorite of young men everywhere since she went topless in American Pie and since a big part of the poker world is comprised of young men it's no surprise she was embraced as a poker player with open arms.

She's been at the World Series of Poker on countless occasions and so far she's cashed four times.

Elizabeth plays poker for entertainment but also uses it as a vehicle to raise awareness about her charitable organization Animal Avengers.

Edward Norton

http://twitter.com/edwardnorton

As far as we know Ed Norton doesn't do much in the way of poker playing in real life but he did play one of the best poker characters in history as Worm in Rounders.

Norton uses his Twitter account to raise awareness for http://www.maasaimarathon.com/.

Lou Diamond Phillips

http://twitter.com/louDphillips

Lou Diamond Phillips has an IMDP list longer than Phil Ivey's Hendon Mob record and he's been playing poker through it all.

From his home game with George Clooney and Brad Pitt back in the day to his deep run in the last WSOP Main Event, LDP's love of poker rivals his passion for fine food.

Sarah Silverman

http://twitter.com/sarahKSilverman

Sarah Silverman might not be the biggest poker player in the world but we do know she enjoys a game of cards once in a while.

She's appeared on Celebrity Poker Showdown and she came out to the last Ante Up for Africa charity event.

Scott Ian

http://twitter.com/Scott_Ian

The Anthrax frontman has been playing poker for years and has even secured himself an endorsement deal with UltimateBet.com.

He plays poker with fellow rockers like Kirk Hammet and Jerry Cantrell. He's even said that he taught Keanu Reeves a few things about the game!

Hank Azaria

http://twitter.com/hankazaria

Best known for his voice work on Simpsons, Hank Azaria has been playing poker for many years. He was rumored to have run a home game for celebrities in New York and he's been on more than a few celebrity poker television shows.

So far his tournament record is blank but he plays at the WSOP and if he keeps his nose to the grindstone he's sure to break through with a cash before long.

Danny Masterson

http://twitter.com/dannymasterson

Danny Masterson played Hyde on That 70's Show, and it was on that set that the home game he plays in developed. With his brother Chris and costars like Laura Prepon, Danny is rumored to play a regular home game somewhere around California.

Danny's been at the World Series on a few occasions but so far he's without a cash.

Chris Masterson

http://twitter.com/ckMasterson

Brother of the aforementioned Danny Masterson, Chris's poker resume reads much like his bro's.

He plays in the same home games and we've seen him kicking around the WSOP from time to time.

Jon Favreau

http://twitter.com/jon_Favreau

Jon Favreau has been a favorite of ours ever since Swingers and things only got better when he brought us Iron Man.

Favreau has been a guest on poker television shows and even has an affiliation with Hollywood Poker.

Norm Macdonald

http://twitter.com/Norm_mac

This list would have a big hole in it if Norm Macdonald wasn't included. We're not sure how legit this twitter account is but it does look pretty pro.

Norm is a gambler and a poker player and can be found in the pits and parties of Vegas. He also plays the WSOP religiously.

Michael Phelps

http://twitter.com/michael_Phelps

This might be the best Twitter account we've ever seen. Hundreds of thousands of followers and not a single tweet!

Phelps has played at the WSOP and we especially like him because of the whole bong-photo thing.

Visit PokerListings.com

Joe Cada on Letterman Tonight

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:48:14 +0100

#fullimg: pic_34797.jpg# It's only been a week since Joe Cada became the youngest player ever to win the WSOP Main Event and already he's doing more than some have done in an entire year of being champ.

Cada made a brief appearance at the announcer's table on WWE Raw last night and he's rumored to be showing up on David Letterman tonight.

Cada's a clean cut kid and it can't hurt to see someone like that promoting the game on a big-time TV show like Letterman.

The episode airs at 11:35 p.m. on CBS so check it out to see Cada in action.

-- Matt Showell

Visit PokerListings.com

Lake Tahoe: Room with a View

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:59:50 +0100

#fullimg: pic_34694.jpg#

PokerListings touched down in Lake Tahoe yesterday for the World Series of Poker Circuit main event that starts tomorrow.

Since getting here we haven't spent a whole lot of time in the casino. Given what's right outside that shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

We understand that not everyone in the poker world likes going outside, however, and we think Tahoe might be just the place for them.

The photo above was taken from my hotel room, you can even see me in the window's reflection.

That means if you're an online player with a serious aversion to fresh air and normal human activity, you'll still have a chance at seeing some sights.

The WSOP Circuit $5k starts tomorrow at noon and you can follow all the action by checking out our Live Coverage page.

-- Matthew Showell

Visit PokerListings.com

Most Famous Poker Pro Twitter List

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:50:08 +0100

#fullimg: pic_34692.jpg#

We're bringing Twitter's new list feature to the poker world. Our first installment: the most famous live poker pros that are also on Twitter.

We've started out with the top ten but as more big-name pros get accounts we'll be adding them to the list.

Here's a rundown of who made the first cut. Check out the list and lots more by following us on Twitter.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

((Phil Hellmuth))

http://twitter.com/phil_hellmuth

Dom baby! We didn't know it at the time but when Phil Hellmuth created his Twitter account he discovered the perfect way to showcase his particular brand of narcissism.

Hellmuth's tweets simultaneously entertain and tilt us. To be fair he tweets about a wide range of subjects but for some reason all we see are the words Dom Baby!

Private jets, VIP access and plenty of name-dropping!

((Barry Greenstein))

http://twitter.com/barrygreenstein

Barry Greenstein is one of the most active Twitter users on this list.

Greenstein seems to have a ton of patience for discussing poker and what better way to do it than Twitter?

Tons of tournament updates, correspondence with other players and fans plus expert analysis from one of the best players in the game.

((Doyle Brunson))

http://twitter.com/TexDolly

Doyle Brunson is a role model to senior citizens everywhere. His blog is one of the most entertaining in the poker world and he does a great job of staying on top of his Twitter account.

Brunson has a sense of humor bred from experience, the experience of a lifetime gambling and hustling the long dusty road.

Brunson's funny and his Twitter account gives everyone a chance to laugh.

((Chris Moneymaker))

http://twitter.com/CMONEYMAKER

Chris Moneymaker, the people's champ who is credited in large part for the poker boom.

Moneymaker's been on the scene off and on since and still gets props as one of the most recognizable players in the world.

((Joe Sebok))

http://twitter.com/JoeSebok

While Joe Sebok isn't the most famous player on this list he's certainly the most active on Twitter.

Sebok now has more than 1 million followers and that number's likely to get bigger depending on how well his new Fox Sports poker show does.

Sebok is on Twitter all day, every day, and he tweets about pretty much every single thing he does.

((Allen Cunningham))

http://twitter.com/Fowlervshoff

What Allen Cunningham lacks in charisma he more than makes up for with sheer volume of results.

To date he's totaled more than $10 million in live tournaments results, with five WSOP bracelets and an appearance at the 2006 Main Event final table.

Erik Siedel

http://twitter.com/Erik_Seidel

Erik Seidel's another guy you might not expect much humor from. Thing is, he's got a really quirky sense of humor and it comes across well on Twitter.

Seidel's tweets are almost all random off-beat observations. Not a whole lot of poker content though.

((David Williams))

http://twitter.com/DWbodogpro

David Williams has a WSOP bracelet, a handful of WPT final tables and a second-place finish to Greg Raymer in the 2004 Main Event, all told almost $6.5 million in career earnings.

What he's more commonly known for, however, is his diamond-tipped toothpick holder and a penchant for talking about VIP club experiences.

((Andy Bloch))

http://twitter.com/Andy_Bloch

The former MIT Blackjack prodigy and card-carrying member of Team Full Tilt took to Twitter and now tweets on a regular basis.

Bloch isn't the most dynamic person in the world but he gets a few laughs with dry observation. He uses his Twitter account for tournament updates and staying in touch with fellow poker pros and friends.

((Howard Lederer))

http://twitter.com/howardhlederer

Howard Lederer never struck us as someone to jump on the Twitter bandwagon but he's embraced the site and uses it regularly.

One-liner observations on current events and poker world happenings account for much of Lederer's tweeting.

He's an insider in the corporate world of online poker and he's got some interesting things to add to the conversation.

((Layne Flack))

http://twitter.com/back2backflack

Layne Flack is at the center of the big buy-in tournament circuit and he tweets about all of it.

He plays a ton of tournaments and can usually be found wherever people are partying or prop betting. Check out his Twitter account for an inside look at the true traveling gambler lifestyle.

((Gavin Smith))

http://twitter.com/oleGSmith

The man from the great white north, Gavin Smith is a fixture on the tournament circuit and is actually quite tech/media savvy, perhaps due to his affiliation with PokerRoad.com.

Smith does a lot of updating from tournaments he's playing, while adding some of that trademark Canadian cynicism of course.

((David Ulliott))

http://twitter.com/daveulliott

The Devil Fish is on Twitter! We're hoping he gets a bit more involved in tweeting since a lot of the stuff on his account is just promoting his website.

Ulliott is the poker world's king of the one-liners which would be perfect for the 140-character limit. We'll be keeping an eye on him to see if he gets his act together.

((Phil Ivey))

http://twitter.com/philivey

It's no surprise that Phil Ivey has a hard time keeping his Twitter account updated.

He's not known for his dedication to media which is a shame because if he tweeted about the gambling and poker-playing he did it would be pretty epic.

((Jean-Robert Bellande))

http://twitter.com/BrokeLivingJRB

Bobby Bellande broke into the mainstream with his role on Survivor but since then things haven't really taken off for the bombastic poker professional.

Bellande uses Twitter to chronicle his so-called "Broke and Living like a Millionaire" project.

Basically he's broke but manages to fly around the world playing poker and gambling in exotic locales. If you don't believe us just read a few of his tweets.

Visit PokerListings.com

Jeffrey Pollack In-Depth Video Interview

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:17:24 +0100

Just 72 hours after the conclusion of this year's WSOP Main Event final table WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack announced his resignation.

It came as a bit of a surprise but by all accounts there are no nefarious secrets behind this situation.

While Pollack's resignation is probably more interesting to people in the media and the industry, fans of the WSOP should recognize that Pollack has played a big part in the improvements we've seen at the Series over the last few years.

The November Nine concept and huge increases in the player fields and prize pools are two of the most visible results of Pollack's tenure as WSOP Commish.

Pollack had a vlog on RawVegas.tv so it's only fitting that he sat down with them to talk about it all.

We've got the three-part video interview embedded right here for you to watch so check it out.

For parts 2 and 3 make sure you're on the post page!

Visit PokerListings.com

BCPC Baby

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:55:07 +0100

I don't play too many tournaments but it's British Columbia Poker Championship time again and I'm gonna play all three events.

I showed up for the $500 event on Thursday to find bracelet winner and River Rock regular Robert Cheung and three other solid regulars I recognized at my table.

It was pretty shitty/surprising to get such a bad table draw in such a small tournament. But hey such is life I guess.

Not much too talk about, I busted half way through Day 1. I was pretty card dead all day which seems standard in live tournaments as far as I can tell.

Admittedly I don't play live tournaments that often but I've probably played twenty lifetime and in that time I don't think I've ever had what I consider to be a decent run of cards.

I mean it's obviously a small sample and I'm just bitching but it'd be nice to win some hands at showdown and not have to manufacture every pot.

But I know how much variance is in these stupid things so I'll keep plugging away whenever decent live tournaments run and eventually I'll ship one.

Hopefully, it'll be one of the next two I play. I'll be playing the $1100 event on Monday and the four-day $2,700 main event starting Thursday. I'd love to do well in one of those seeing as though River Rock used to be one of the casinos I dealt at.

It would just feel awesome to come back and just slay it. I'll keep you guys posted with what goes on.

Other than that I was sick at the beginning of the month so I haven't put nearly as many hands in as I would have liked and with all this live poker I probably won't get to. But I played 55,000 hands last month so I'll have to be pleased with that ;)

Hope to have some good news next time I post and if any of you are in Vancouver for the tourney feel free to say hello.

Visit PokerListings.com

Stop the Presses ... durrrr has a Blog

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:12:54 +0100

#fullimg:tom-dwan_31584.jpg# Its official just like a referee whistle:

Tom "durrrr" Dwan has personally confirmed that he has indeed started a poker blog.

Hit it up here http://www.durrrr.com/blog

Visit PokerListings.com

WSOP Main Event Heads-Up Photo Blog

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:59:18 +0100

#fullimg: pic_34685.jpg#

Joe Cada's win at the 2009 WSOP Main Event has had time to sink in and we're ready to bring you the heads-up installment of our November Nine photo blog.

Taking photos is my favorite part of the job and that goes double for the Main Event. This year our hats are off to the WSOP staff for making it so easy to get great pictures of all the action.

We were all over that stage and we have the photos to prove it. Here's a visual account of the heads-up match with a few words for context. But don't worry; you won't have to do much reading.

Mano a Man; Moon a Cada

Any time studio lights are set up you can bet the photos are going to be good. It's a hell of a lot easier than shooting in the murky gloom of, say, the Foxwoods tournament room.

Hence we got some great shots of the two heads-up competitors.

Darvin Moon matched Joe Cada's seriousness with an unchanging lack of concern. Moon's expression barely changed and there were only a few instances where he broke character and got up from the table.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He Got By with a Little Help From His Friends

Joe Cada had the loudest cheering section from the beginning of this final table. They cheered when he was in a hand. They cheered when he wasn't in a hand. They cheered pretty much every time he took a breath.

When it really counted though, it wasn't their cheering that mattered. It was just having them there.

Check out that photo above. This was taken during the final hand of the tournament. Even better, it was taken as they waited for the final river card, the one that would either make Cada a champion, or give Darvin Moon a second chance.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gracious in Victory; Gracious in Defeat

Darvin Moon handled himself extremely well during the entire final table, despite saying repeatedly how uncomfortable he felt about the spectacle that is the November Nine.

When he lost that final race, officially finishing second, he walked straight to Joe Cada, shook his hand and raised the champion's arm in congratulations.

I was standing directly behind him and managed to get a shot, as you see above (talk about behind the scenes ammirite?).

Cada was blown away by the whole thing but the first thing he did when he was handed the mic was congratulate Moon on his finish.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Handshake Makes it Official

When all was said and done, when the champion had hugged his family and said a few words to the crowd, it was time to make it official.

WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack handed over the bracelet and shook the hand of the 2009 world champion of poker.

Visit PokerListings.com

The Perfect PC Setup for the Online Grinder

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:51:57 +0100

#fullimg:dual-monitors_34679.jpg# My father once taught me a very important lesson: Always use the proper tool for the job.

If playing online poker is your job, or even your hobby, you're going to want the right PC.

The first thing to know is that you don't have to buy the most expensive computer and accessories to get what you need. You just need to know what you're looking for.

If you do it right, getting the optimal grinder's PC won't actually cost you all that much.

When you're looking for items to buy you should be paying attention to:

Technical quality
Compatibility
Price
Comfort

The Box

The actual PC is the most important part, but also one of the easiest pieces to configure. As long as you know the very basics of what you want, the details are relatively insignificant.

If you walk into a computer shop saying you want a Dual DVI 512meg vid card for less than $150, that's exactly what you'll get. The exact model and brand doesn't really matter here.

Your computer is made up of the following items:

Mainboard (Motherboard )
- Sound Card
- Network Card
Graphics Card
CPU (Processor)
RAM (Memory)
Hard Drive
PSU (Power Supply)
Case

The Mainboard

This is the central nervous system of your computer. It controls everything else in the computer.

Although you really shouldn't buy cheap anything when it comes to your computer, this is the one thing you never want to skimp on. Get a crappy Mainboard and everything suffers.

If you're piecing together a computer yourself, you need to also make sure that your Mainboard is compatible with the restof the items you're about to buy. If you're not a computer geek, just ask someone who is or someone in the store to help you set up your system.

These days, almost all Mainboards come with sound, network and graphics cards built in. This saves you having to buy specific cards for these functions, which in turn saves you money.

I would still recommend you get a Mainboard without an onboard graphics card or just don't use it. You're going to want a real graphics card for your machine, so make sure the Mainboard has a PCI Express slot to accept your new graphics card.

As for brand names, I will only recommend two brands: ASUS or MSI.

Recommended: MSI P45 Platinum

Sound Card: As mentioned earlier, pretty much every Mainboard sports an onboard 5.1 surround sound card. Unless you're planning on doing high-end recording or music production, this will be more than enough for what you need.

Save your money and stick to the onboard option.

Recommended: On-board

Network Card: All Mainboards have built in network cards, but if you want to go wireless you'll need to buy a wireless card as well.

Recommended: Onboard

Graphics Card

If you want to run dual monitors (and I highly, HIGHLY recommend you do), you want to get a graphics card with Dual-DVI video outputs. Get an ATI or NVIDIA graphics card, ideally with a minimum of 512 megabytes DDR3 ram.

This card will be far more powerful than anything you're ever going to need, but considering the price of a card such as this you'd be a fool to buy anything less.

This card will be more than enough power to run everything, including high-end games (but not at the maximum texture and graphics quality).

If you want to use your PC for high-end gaming as well as poker, grab a vid card with a little more juice.

Recommended: BFG GeForce (Nvidia) 9800GT

CPU

The Central Processing Unit is your computer's brain. Anytime your computer has to do a calculation, or perform any sort of task requiring "thinking" or logic, it's using the CPU.

Online poker actually requires a decent amount of CPU usage, especially if you're running multiple tables across multiple screens. You don't need anything crazy, but don't get anything less than a Dual core Intel 2.6 gigahertz processor.

Why Intel? I personally hate AMD and will only recommend Intel chips. There's a reason Apple Computers has begun using all Intel chips in their systems. Intel simply makes the best CPUs on the market.

All the dual core and better chips are 64 bit also, allowing you to use 64-bit software (such as Windows 7 Ultimate x64).

In case you don't know, 64-bit software can operate much faster with much more efficiency as its 32-bit equivalent. Since you have a 64-bit chip, you might as well use 64-bit software.

Soon enough there will be no such thing as 32 bit (also known as x86), as 64 bit is slowly taking over the entire marketplace.

Recommended: Intel Core 2 Duo E8200, 2.66GHz

RAM

Random Access Memory is your computer's muscle. While your CPU is doing all the thinking work, the RAM is doing all the heavy lifting.

The more RAM you have, the quicker your computer will run. Simple as that. Make sure you get RAM compatible with your Mainboard and a minimum of two Gigabytes.

If you want to have a high-speed machine (especially if you want to do any serious gaming), get 4 gigs and call it a day.

It's always better to buy RAM in pairs and buy all of it at once. Having different brands of RAM used in the same computer has been known to cause errors.

Plus, all RAM these days is DDR (Dual Data Rate). This means to get the most performance out of your RAM, you need to have two identical chips in the correct RAM slots on the Mainboard.

If you want 4 gigs of RAM it's better to buy two 2-gig chips rather than four 1-gig chips.

Recommended: OCZ Dual Channel DDR2 2x2048MB (4-Gig)

Hard Drive

As long as your hard drives are compatible with your Mainboard (almost all current Mainboards are running the SATA2 interface) just get the one with enough storage.

Every day the price of drives goes down and the storage gets bigger. Buy whatever's big and cheap, probably around 500 gigs in size.

Recommended: Western Digital Caviar 500Gig

PSU

The Power Supply Unit takes the power from your wall and distributes the correct amount of juice to everything in your computer.

You want to make sure you get a PSU with enough power to run your computer without issue. Basically, get a 750-watt PSU and you're good to go.

Recommended: Ultra LSP750

Case

All the guts and wires of the computer need to be contained somewhere - that's your case.

The case also includes all the fans required to keep your computer cool. If you don't have fans, your computer will melt or set itself on fire.

When looking for a case you need find something that looks cool, fits your parts and, most importantly, is quiet.

With all the fans running in a PC, they can get pretty damn noisy. A good case will keep your computer cool and quiet without forcing you to wear earplugs in your own room.

Recommended: Cooler Master HAF 932

All the Rest

Now that you have a PC, you need the rest of the crap that goes with it. This includes:

Monitors
Mouse
Keyboard
Speakers
Chair

Monitors

I cannot be any clearer on this one. Monitors should always be plural.

Once you start using dual screens, you'll see why it's impossible for you to ever come back. Your best bet is a pair of 20" or 22" widescreen LCD monitors, side by each.

Recommended: Two Viewsonic vx2262wm 22" Widescreen LCD

Mouse

What mouse to use is really a matter of personal preference.

You need something that functions accurately and consistently on the surface you're using it on. If you want to avoid carpel tunnel I would highly recommend you look into a trackball or "thumb" mouse, such as the Logitech TrackMan Wheel.

These let you keep your wrist stationary, using just your thumb to control the pointer. It takes a little bit of usage to re-learn how to operate your mouse, but once you do you'll find yourself being more accurate with less effort.

Also, these work on any surface without any surface jump errors. When your money is on the line, an accurate mouse is a requirement.

Recommended: Logitech TrackMan Wheel

Keyboard

This really doesn't matter for poker as anything will work. Simply for ergonomics I'd recommend getting a split or wave keyboard.

You'll have to re-train yourself to type on it, but it's a small amount of work to keep your wrists happy.

Recommended: Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

Speakers

You're going to need to hear your computer somehow. Use your headphones, grab cheap speakers, or buy a full-on surround sound system. Whatever works for you.

Chair

Anytime you're spending hours at a time at a desk, you need a proper task chair to give you the back support needed to keep yourself healthy and pain free.

If you're uncomfortable, you're not going to be able to play your best game.

High-end office chairs can cost thousands of dollars, but you can find decent task chairs for cheap prices by hitting up Staples or IKEA. Just be sure to get a task chair instead of an executive chair.

Task chairs keep your weight forward in the proper position for typing, rather than lounged back where you need to strain to reach the keyboard.

It's possible to shave a few hundred dollars off of this system without having to sacrifice all that much performance. To do this, get less RAM, a cheaper case, cheaper (or on board) video card and a slower processor.

But it's always best to do something correct the first time rather than have to buy it twice. Buy a PC that's faster than you need right now, and it will still be adequate in a couple of years.

If you have any questions about specifics parts, or compatibility, feel free to drop your question in a comment. I'll see what I can do to help you out.

Visit PokerListings.com

The November Nine Version 2.0

info@www.Pokerlistings.com — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:31:59 +0100

#fullimg:joseph-cada_34657.jpg# Even without the four-month break, this year's Main Event final table would have been one of the most talked about in history.

The reason behind that is obvious: Phil Ivey.

In the last two years Phil Ivey has been elevated from regular poker player to this mythical creature whose exploits don't even seem real.

When he made the final table it was guaranteed to be huge. But with the ESPN hype machine working 24/7 during the four-month break, this final table was the most anticipated ever.

Those extra months allowed Ivey and all the November Niners to do interviews and remind people to tune in and watch the WSOP final table.

All the lead up means more viewers. The numbers aren't in yet but it has to be the most watched WSOP final table in history and as far as I'm concerned the more people watching poker the better.

Even without Phil Ivey there were some great story lines at the table. You had the disgruntled Jeff Shulman claiming he would throw the bracelet away should he win. You had the logger from Maryland who ran hotter than the sun in Darvin Moon. Then you had Joe Cada, who could eclipse Peter Eastgate as the youngest Main Event champion ever.

And that's just the short list. The rest of the players all had stories of their own and they could all play poker, so it wasn't surprising that they gave us a great final table.

Some WSOP ME Final Table Highlights:

Darvin Moon's big WTF hands - This one wasn't much of a surprise but Moon had two huge blow-ups. Luckily for him he had more chips than God which allowed for a good deal of wiggle room.

The first was three-bet shoving ace high, no pair no draw on the flop against an obviously pot-committed Antoine Saout.

I mean Saout only had to call 3 million to win 18. Only a fool would fold getting like 6 to 1? Right? ... Right?

Which leads us to WTF hand two. Darvin Moon calls a three-bet OOP with KQo then check-raises the flop with no pair no draw and folds for the last 6 million in a 45-million-chip pot.

A hand that's funny enough on it's own, but becomes extremely funny when he goes over to his wife and tells her he folded queens.

No offense, but if he was trying to save face, telling her he was bluffing saves more face than telling her you folded an overpair getting almost 7 to 1.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steven Begleiter - Begleiter definitely gets the award for being the most improved player at the final table.

He spent his four months off working with Jonathan Little and improved his game immensely.

Begleiter played very solid at the final table and was unlucky to bust 6th.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joe Cada running hotter than the sun - Joe Cada at one point during the final table had just less than 1% of the total chips in play.

He went on a huge rush and mounted the greatest comeback in Main Event history, winning every coin flip and hitting two two-outers along the way.

Though Cada ran stupid hot he can't really be berated for playing like a donk. He played aggressive and he got lucky - a lethal combo.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phil Ivey's tightness - We knew going in Phil Ivey was going to play tight. He felt that his post-flop skill advantage was so large that he didn't need to play big pots or risk chips unnecessarily.

But I don't think anyone could have guessed that he would come out playing that tight.

Two hands that really document how tight Phil was playing are the A 9 when he flops a gutshot and a flush draw and elects to just check-call with like 14bb, and when he folds JJ pre-flop to Saout's three-bet.

Also what you didn't see was that Ivey folded several buttons when it was folded to him. Players were playing super tight when Ivey entered and he passed up several "any two cards steal" spots.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darvin Moon's Heads-Up Performance - You couldn't really tell from ESPN's broadcast but listening to the live audio Darvin Moon played surprisingly well HU.

Of course he didn't play perfect. The QJ suited final hand was pretty bad, but he chipped away at Joe Cada very well, even capturing the chip lead at one point.

Moon won a ton of pots without showdown and surprised a lot of people (Cada included) with his aggressive play.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two seperate AA vs KK - AA vs KK sucks any time. At the final table of the Main Event it's really just cruel.

And it happened twice. Once with Buchman's KK making quads to bounce Kevin Schaffel; the other time with the AA holding up.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darvin Moon turning down the sponsorship skrilla - Darvin Moon was the only one at the final table with no online advertising, which is really incredible. Phil Hellmuth told two stories on the audio broadcast.

The first was that late in the Main Event but before the money, Moon had a big chip lead and at that time he was offered $75,000 to wear a patch.

He politely declined saying he didn't want to "owe anyone anything." This was before the money and he still could have been knocked out and not made a dime!

Then again as the chip leader at the final table he was offered between $400,000 and $500,000 to wear a patch and he again politely declined.

He turned down nearly half a million dollars to go un-affiliated. Amazing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overall it was a pretty good final table. ESPN's second shot at the November Nine was much more successful, though if I had the option I would still go back to the days when you could order the pay-per-view with no hole cards.

It's disappointing to have the WSOP end for another year but hey, it's only like 8 more months till it starts back up again.

Visit PokerListings.com